Essential Elements: Forging Godly MenSample

Returning to the Father

Through the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus tells us that it’s not rejection or merit that establishes a man, but a loving Father, God, who generously imparts identity to any son who wants to come home.

In the story, the Father exemplifies God, the ultimate Creator and Redeemer of men. He graciously welcomes back any son who repents, turning away from his futile ways. Notice how the Father responded to the repentant son in the parable:

The father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

—Luke 15:22–24

The Father restored to his son what he had previously rejected. He restored his identity by

lavishing him with symbols of belonging: a robe, a ring, shoes, and the grandest of meals. These tokens couldn’t be replicated through merit; they had to be freely given and restored by the Father.

This is where manhood begins—with the Father. God alone made men; therefore, he is

the only one who could ever remake them. Our entire existence revolves around the Father. For repentant men, his greatest gift is the boundless riches of a restored relationship with him. However, to receive his relationship and all his blessings, we must abandon all other pursuits and return to the one whose merit truly matters.

All this brings us to the end of all our pursuits and to a far more relevant question in our quest for manhood. Instead of asking, What makes a man? the more relevant question is, Who makes men? This subtle shift in the focus of our questions inevitably leads us to a righteous pursuit. We naturally veer from notions of rejection and merit-based systems. Like the Prodigal Son, we find ourselves compelled to return home confronting the undeniable truth: submitting to the Father is fundamental to becoming a man.

Reflect on a time in your life when you made a similar “return to the Father.” How did this experience reshape your understanding of your identity and purpose as a man?