UnoffendableSample

“JOIN THE PARTY”

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story about a man who had two sons and he divided his inheritance. The younger of the two brothers squandered his inheritance on what the Bible describes as “reckless living”. He hit rock bottom and decided to come home. He thought his dad would be full of disappointment, but when he arrived, the father ran to him, kissed him, and began to throw a party for the son who had gone prodigal. When the party began, the Bible makes it crystal clear that the older brother was not happy about his younger brother’s homecoming party.

While we are happy for the son who was lost and became found, I think there will always be a part of us that relates to the older brother who just honestly wanted to be celebrated himself. What the father tells him in response to his resentment is this: he could have thrown a party anytime he wanted. Just because people are not throwing the party you want them to throw for you doesn’t mean you have any reason to refuse to attend another person’s party. 

If somebody else gets more social media attention than you, join the party. 

If somebody else gets the compliment you long for, join the party. 

If somebody gets better, nicer, and newer stuff than you do, join the party. 

If somebody advances in their career, go to the party. 

If somebody finds a spouse before you, go to the party. 

And I don’t mean, go to the party physically and be distant emotionally. It’s possible to be somewhere and not be there at the same time. Really go to the party. When you refuse to celebrate other people in their achievements, you will begin to boil in phantom discouragement and become offended when you should be celebrating. 

The older brother let phantom discouragement allow him to believe a good dad was a bad dad. Here’s the deal. Whether you had a good dad, bad dad, or no dad--forgive him. Forgive the people in your life who have hurt you because not letting it go is only serving as a poison to your own destiny, not theirs.