Luke 15:11-32
If you’ve ever experienced or met someone who has experienced major hardship or challenge in their life, they will tell you of the perspective change these experiences often have, that often we return to the root of who we are or discover for the first time who we really are. And that the things that we thought matter, don’t. And that we are more capable than we thought. And that God’s grace is bigger than us.
In “Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen, he writes about this concept called “the three lies”. Nouwen says that just like the prodigal son, there are three lies most of us tell ourselves on a daily basis often without even realizing it. These lies erode our self-image and damage our relationship with both God and the people around us.
The three lies are as follows:
- Lie #1: “I am what I have.”
I have nice things in my life and something they can be used for good, but it’s not what makes me who I am, nor my life meaningful. - Lie #2: “I am what I do.”
What I do can contribute to the world and provide me with a means to survive but it’s not who I am. - Lie #3: “I am what other people say about me.”
Whatever is said or thought of me, good or bad, it is not who I am.
The challenge of the story of the prodigal son is that both the younger and older son struggle to really see, understand, or accept the loving embrace and grace of their father. For the younger son, he must return to the father because he has spent all of his inheritance. However, the real return for the younger son was a return to an identity rooted in the loving embrace of a forgiving father instead of an identity rooted in possessions or social status.
It doesn’t take long for me to survey my own life or the world around me and be reminded of ways in which these three lies get in the way of living as a beloved child of God.
We are beloved children of God who are embraced by a loving God, no matter when or how we return home.
Questions for Reflection:
- Which of the three lies do you most struggle with? Why?
- What does it look like to live as a beloved child of God?
Prayer:
Loving God,
May we know that we are not what we have, what we do, or what others say about us. Teach us to see ourselves and others through your grace so we may embrace others as you embrace us.
Amen.
Login To Leave Comment