I sat in Church one Sunday morning, surprised by the confession of a prodigal. The young man was in his twenties at the time, and his parents were also in the room. He had been raised in a Christian home but through a series of wrong decisions put himself on the prodigal path. I don’t know if at the time of those choices he would have called them wrong. Probably more like deciding to live life the way he wanted; a lifestyle that involved choices that would not have been compatible with walking closely with his God.

On that morning, he confessed that even while making those wrong choices, he was never completely at ease in the path he was pursuing. It was meant to encourage parents of prodigals, and his message was clear: keep praying, don’t give up.

As I reread chapter 23 of The Bridge from OneDayBow this morning, I was reminded that not every prodigal looks visibly like the Heidi in the book. Not every prodigal ends up on the street. Not every prodigal is plagued with addictive behavior. Not every prodigal leaves the community – or even the home! But what all do share in common is choosing a direction that moves them away from a close relationship with the God of their salvation.  And often that involves separating from those who do still follow Jesus.

Having been a prodigal myself as a young adult, and now knowing and caring about many prodigals, I realize that the lure of the world is very strong. And very deceptive. I don’t have all the answers, but this I know: God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (see 2 Peter 3:9)

God doesn’t easily give up on people and neither should we. We need to pray for the return of the prodigals, but also for the wisdom we individually need.

Perhaps we can learn a few things from Tim’s experience. These things may be helpful as we consider our part in the lives of the Heidi’s of this world:

Pray, pray, pray

Have genuine concern for their spiritual well being

Remain available and be willing to seek after the stray

Listen to them, but when given the opportunity speak the truth in love

 If they still claim to be a believer, talk to them like one

 But if they choose to continue in sin, warn them of the consequences

You can’t force a prodigal to return. And if you love that person, you are going to experience pain. Love means being willing to hurt. But remember, any pain we feel is a dim reflection of the grief God experiences when His children leave the safety of His path. God is willing to forgive and restore, but we must never take that to mean that we can ignore His warnings or compromise on what He says is right and true.

God loves us, and in love has given us free will so we can choose to love Him in return. But in His love, He is also willing to be hurt.