The past few days have been a crazy whirlwind: family fun at the State Fair all day Friday, Chris Tomlin concert Friday night, out of town relatives visiting Saturday, church Sunday morning and a late evening flight to Vegas Sunday night for a work conference. And, just being in Las Vegas for two days is a whirlwind of its own. Pick your favorite vice, and there’s an opportunity to indulge it staring you in the face everywhere you turn, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s such a wacky, surreal place to be. Even now, sitting at the airport, there are people playing slot machines right in front of me. Crazy!
I had an interesting conversation with the taxi driver on the way to the airport this afternoon. This guy wasn’t your typical cab driver. He was originally from the East Coast, college educated at the University of Maryland, and still close to his family back home. But, he left all that to come to Vegas to pursue fame and fortune. He was, in a way, a modern-day prodigal son.
While thinking about this cab driver and the story of the prodigal son and some of the teaching that I heard this weekend, I found a recurring theme that really jumped out at me: Freedom can only be found in surrender. When the prodigal son left home, I’m sure that he thought: “Finally! I’m free! I can do whatever I want to do, go wherever I want to go, be whatever I want to be. I’ve got it made! I’m in control!” And that was fine for a while. I’m sure that he made some friends and had some fun along the way. But, eventually, those things that he was pursuing began to control him, and his freedom started to feel more like bondage. All of his indulgences started to cost him. They took more of his time and more of his money, until at last, he ended up in the pig sty.
At that point, he was faced with a choice. He could stay where he was, in the middle of the mess that he’d made of his life. Or, he could go back home and surrender himself to the will of his father. Because, after all, his father’s servants had it better than he did at the moment. So, he headed home, burdened with the weight of what he’d done and the shame that it had brought him.
But, when he arrived home and told his father what had happened, he got an unexpected surprise. At that point of surrender, when he believed that he was signing up to be a servant in his childhood home, his father welcomed him with open arms. When his father placed the robe on his back, the prodigal son finally found the real freedom that he’d been searching for all along.
There are so many people in that same condition. They’re desperate for freedom, but they’re pursuing it in all the wrong ways and in all the wrong places. They’re ending up in a virtual pig sty, just like the prodigal son, bound by the lifestyle that they’ve chosen. The weight of those chains is just too much to bear for most people. But, if they, like the prodigal son, can find it in their hearts to surrender to their heavenly Father, they too can find freedom.
Are there things in your life that are dragging you down or holding you back? Are you a slave to your possessions or your career? It’s time to let go. It’s time to surrender… because freedom is waiting on the other side.
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." -- Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
No comments:
Post a Comment