Come Out of the "Pig Pen": Rethink Your Choices - Part 3

The parable of the prodigal son is appealing because most everyone can identify with his dilemma. Our society requires that we grow up and become independent. Although this is a natural process, it's not always simple or easy. Some young people make several attempts before succeeding. Leaving home can propel a young person into an uncertain future.

The young man in Jesus' parable made serious mistakes that left him in despair. Remarkably, he didn't blame others for his failure. Nor did he try to rationalize or justify his immaturity, poor judgments, or bad behavior. To justify or rationalize means to absolve oneself of blame in order to be free of responsibility for personal choices.

The prodigal son reframed who he could be and thus freed himself to crawl out of the pig pen of failure. Reframing is the ability to put reality into an acceptable mental, spiritual, and emotional context so positive change can be activated. Christ Jesus stands at the door of your situation prepared to help you make life-changing decisions, so why not invite him to do so?

God's Gifts: Love, Hope, Freedom - Part 2

After Bible study and worship service, I asked my daughter, a first grader, what she learned in her class that Sunday morning. "You must never be angry, for it's a sin to be angry," was her reply. She had learned something that isn't true, for God designed us to express this emotion. However when out of control and destructive, anger can be harmful and sinful.

To be restricted from sharing your thoughts and feelings with a loving, trusting intimate other is to smother the person God created you to be. Otherwise you're pretending to be something that's false. To come to the end of life without having been able to articulate what you think and feel, which is a very important need, would be a great loss.

To avoid this loss and the despair it creates, choose to accept the freedom and autonomy God makes possible through faith and trust in Christ Jesus. Jesus said that God "has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives." Integrity grounded in love for God, for others, and for oneself breaks the restraints of self-imprisonment. Jesus will help you do this.