The Joy of Reconnecting

There's a Bible story that goes something like this...

A young man wanted out of the family.  He asked his dad for his share of the inheritance and disappeared into the sunset.  The brother who stayed close to his father kept track of all the parties, the frivolous spending and the bad choices his lost sibling made while away from home.  The dad missed his son and every day stared out into the horizon.

One day, the lost son came home.  This caused some tension within the family.  The stay-at-home son reported all the illicit activities that occurred while his brother was away.  He tried to rain on the welcome party because he was jealous of all the attention his lost brother was getting.

I know what it's like to look out the window and wonder how a lost family member is doing.  Recently, I discovered the joy of reconnecting with family members I didn't even know I had.  Jesus told the story to teach a lesson about the lost.  We can go out on our own any time and do things our way.  Without strong role models in our lives, we will mess things up, just like the young son who wasted all the resources his dad gave him.

Don't let sibling rivalry, poor choices or any other obstacles separate you from your family.  If you are a parent, sometimes you have to let go and allow your children to go out into the world without you.  I know the pain of separation can be excruciating.  Just keep loving them and never stop praying.