Prodigal Son Contd

I mentioned my previous comment (that the prodigal lost any increase to his inheritance) in a class, and it seemed to have been taken as if he lost his exaltation. I don't see it like that, to me what the faithful gained and what the prodigal lost is what the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants calls "the drop." To me, exaltation in this story is analogous to coming home to the father's house, both were home. The calf, the robe and the ring, were all just blessings. In this case temporal, in our case many of them would be spiritual.

CS Lewis said:

A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. Mere Christianity

I would assume that similarly, greater blessings are allotted to those who withstand temptations.


Another thought came to me during our class discussion when I looked closer at the gifts. The son was destitute, if he couldn't feed himself, he would surely be dressed in rags. His father gave him a cloak and shoes, it was the best cloak, but it was just a cloak. The ring on his finger might not decoration. I don't know much about Jewish history and traditions, but I know in many cultures rings were symbols of the family with crests etc. The father may not have been trying to decorate his son, as much as claim his son. Let the prodigal, and everyone else know, that he would not be received as a mere servant, but he was in fact his father's son and welcome in his house. Since the son was envious of pig feed, he was probably emaciated and malnourished. It may have taken the fatted calf to help restore his son's health.

When we repent, when we turn back to God, even when we are "yet a great way off" He will run to us. He will spiritually cover us, protect us from the rocks and dust and weather we have passed, and will guide us home. He will proudly claim us as His children and he will fill us with the best He has to offer.

It might seem unfair that the newly repented seem to get so much so quickly, just as with the older son. His problem (and our problem) is forgetting our blessings. Elder Holland said,

this dutiful son—and he is wonderfully dutiful—forgets for a moment that he has never had to know filth or despair, fear or self-loathing. He forgets for a moment that every calf on the ranch is already his and so are all the robes in the closet and every ring in the drawer. He forgets for a moment that his faithfulness has been and always will be rewarded.

He hadn't gone naked. His feet hadn't been bruised, torn and battered by walking miles shoeless. He hadn't felt the deep loneliness his brother experienced, not lost his family, friends, wealth and personal identity. While his brother had lost all these things he had been earning more clothes and calves and money and friends.

We might feel a little resentful when someone seems showered in blessings. They may get a close relationship with family members or priesthood leaders. Maybe people go out of their way to befriend them, or they get a calling that we have always wanted. It might seem that they don't deserve the blessings that they are receiving. While it might be true that they didn't work for these blessings, they did pay for the blessings. Pain, sorrow, embarrassments that the faithful, thankfully, don't have to endure.

It usually seems so easy to find things to complain about, but when I really look at my life, I can see that I am blessed so much more than I deserve. Especially when blessings come gradually it can be easy to ignore, forget, or even expect the blessings that we have, so that we don't recognize them as the gifts that they are. Next time I find myself sulking just within earshot of someone else's party, I hope I can quickly check myself and head in singing.