Squandering Son

One if the lessons that we try to get across to our son is about eating. Overall, he’s a great eater of various foods. For example, though he just turned 3, he started liking “hot and sour soup” from a local Chinese place when he was 2-years old.

The lesson is to choose entrée over dessert. For most of us the sweets are more palatable, so the temptation is a bit natural. However, if you squander the sweet food for the good food, then you’ve wasted your hunger on something that is not healthy for you.

Sunday we looked at verses 13-16 of Luke 15. This section of the Prodigal Son includes the son “squandering” his possessions away and ending up with nothing. Similar to eating the dessert first, to the point of not wanting the “good” food, you end up with very little of food that has good nutritional value to it. From this lesson, here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Be Patient ~ This may be the “nails on the chalkboard” phrase to some people. We hear it often and tend to not like to hear it at all. When we are waiting on something in life to happen and it is beyond our control, patience is the “action” that we can take next. Being patient has its benefits. Here are a few: It allows you to take a look at a situation, it allows God to work, it allows you to mature, it allows for better understanding.
• Appreciate ~ Ever heard of the Dr. Suess’ book “The Best Nest"?  Mrs. Bird is wanting to have a better nest. The book is filled with the journey of her trying to find a place that is better. The book concludes with her realizing it is best to remain where she was at, originally. We often can think it would be better if… Sometimes it would be, but there are times when it would not. We need to appreciate where we are at, right now, and make the best of that situation.
• Enjoy the Limit ~ “Yeah, right!” you might be saying. When I purchased my first cell phone back in 1995, I paid $29.99 per month and had 40 minutes to use. It was a plan more for “emergencies” than for simply chatting. Now, I basically have an unlimited amount of talking on my cell phone plan – due to the fact that we don’t go over and we have a “rollover.” It all comes down to how limits are needed to keep us disciplined and reigned in. Even if we are frustrated with a limit – no matter the context – may we step back and enjoy the limit.

May we take moments not to squander away the good areas that life brings our way!