Demanding From the Father

“GIVE ME! GIVE ME, IT’S MINE!” Ever heard something like that? I have. In fact, I’ve probably said something like that years ago. Possessiveness seems to parallel selfishness when it comes to being demanding.

We also are demanding when we use the place where we stand on a situation as the standard. With religion and politics we label conservative or liberal. With time it is too fast or too slow. With knowledge it is smart or dumb. Where we are determines what word we use to label someone else. When we place expectations on people to become closer like us, we are demanding of them to become like us.

In the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) we see a young, immature son who is placing demands on the father. He is demanding his inheritance from his father. He requests his inheritance with little patience couched in the statement. As we reflect on Sunday’s lesson, here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Who Holds the Possession ~ Impatiently asking for something from the father creates a false sense of possession. As the item requested is being held by someone else, at the time the request is made, we must understand they have the right to give it to us or not. Our father’s may hold the ability to get their child’s car fixed, butt hey do not have to get it fixed in the time that the child wants it. The father holds all the power of the distribution of the possession, but decides when to use it, not when you cannot wait any longer.
• Humble Yourself ~ Last time I checked, the sun, which the earth revolves around, was in the sky, not a person on earth. No matter what position we hold on the earth, we are not the center. May we be less demanding and challenge ourselves to live in humility with others.
• Gifts are Given Voluntarily ~ Whether it is an inheritance or a general gift, they are given out of care for the person. Understanding that they can be revoked or change should cause us to think about how much we should appreciate them when we receive them.

We have started our son out on a pretty good path when it comes to demanding things from us. Rarely will he say anything close to “give me,” and when he does, we are there to remind him that saying it like that is not polite.

May we all be reminded to ask from the Father with patience, not with an expectation that is wrapped in a demanding command.