Sarah and The Prodigal Son

One of the nights last week, I decided to read The Prodigal Son to Sarah as her bedtime story. The story went on fine till we came to the picture of the boy, sitting dejectedly in the pig sty. As Sarah ask, "Where is  boy's Daddy?" I noticed that her voice was quivering. I took my glance off the page and realized that she had a rather pained expression on her face. I quickly turned to the next page where the father welcomed the son with open arms, eager to show her the happy ending. Her puzzled look tells me that she was slowly absorbing the plot of the story. Sarah said, "Again". At her prompting, I read the story again. By the time, we reached to the ending, Sarah was rubbing her eyes and crying. She tried to summarize the story like this, "The son want to go away? The son want to play so much? The son go back to father?" Whenever she completed her summary, she would bury her head into her pillow and let out soft cries. As, I looked at her response, I was completely taken aback, but also immediately, my heart started to ache. Dear little Sarah could not comprehend why any child would want to leave her father. Never in her simple and unadulterated mind, could a child not exist with his mother or father. It was too much for her heart to bear.

Dear Sarah gave me a glimpse into this story in a way that I never saw before. How often we read this story and gloss over the departure of the son as if it was the most natural thing to do. A sign of independence, a coming of age, a teenage thing or maybe even a sign of rebellion and ungratefulness. And we go on to read about the son's exploits and encounters with the world and its vices. But to Sarah, this departure was not even a thought to be imagined or entertained in the very first place. To leave one's  father is to her the most unnatural and unloving thing to do. It is a heartbreaking act. And perhaps, it is. It not only pains the father, but it should also pain the child. Much we can learn from a pure heart. Truly, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. This reminds me much about God's love as He waits patiently for His children, whose natural disposition is really to stay by Him and receive all that His love and grace offers.