Welcome Home!
They say that life begins when the dog dies and the kids leave home. Let me dispel that myth. The dog never dies.
But the kids do leave home. Eventually. It happens when they can’t stand another minute of their parents embarrassing them constantly.
I wish I could remember when they began to notice. Tell me, at what point did our children suddenly become so sensitive? Why it seems like only yesterday that we sat in our house in the country, cuddling our newly arrived little one. What peace. What joy. What a proud parental moment, as friends sat adoringly nearby. Then, without warning, this serene babe-in-arms emitted sounds like the launching of the space shuttle. With a smile and no shame. If we hadn’t have had company, we’d have left home.
But, somewhere between infancy and puberty, parents become the embarrassing party. It’s tough for parents to take. Especially, after making heroic efforts to always be there for them … no matter how many miles we have to drive into town. But teen-aged minds are like an elephant’s. They never forget. Except when it comes to remembering to do their homework. Still, when it comes to grievances against their parents, the memory bank kicks in. And, believe me, it’s full.
Like the one time, and ONLY time, we drove the old dusty farm truck to a parent conference. To this day, our kids still hold a grudge. Even now that they’re adults, they argue that we should have dropped off the mountain of manure at the city dump first. Now, that’s thanks for you, after they’re the ones who begged us for a horse.
I guess parents, and the embarrassment we bring, are the big reason why teens rarely come out of their bedroom. Except for money. Or, the car. Then they disappear back into their black hole, content with the dirty socks and notes from the school office that are stuffed under their bed. There, they count the days until they can ride off into the sunset. Not on their horse, of course, but in their parents’ car.
As we all know, a child who leaves home is nothing new. And most of the time they come back. Usually, with armloads of dirty laundry. In some ways, this passage in life reminds me of the prodigal son in the Bible. He couldn’t wait to leave his parents’ house. Like a lot of kids, he was fed up with his everyday life. After all, it seemed so shamefully boring. But, later, when he discovered that his new lifestyle wasn’t too great, he decided to come home. What he found were parents that weren’t such a bad lot after all. Plus, his father, who’d watched and waited for him every single day, greeted him with open arms.
Sometimes God’s children are a lot like the young man in the story. We’ve decided to leave God’s house and never set foot in there again. We have our reasons. And we know they’re good ones.
Then, once we’re out the door, we no longer have to admit to others that we’re part of God’s family. It limits our lifestyle and can be down right embarrassing. After all, to a lot of people, spending Sundays at church just isn’t cool.
But, after awhile, we may feel like we miss it. So, if you do, and you’re feeling like you’d like to come back. Don’t hesitate. Like the father in the story, God is waiting to welcome us.
Oh, and don’t be embarrassed to bring all your dirty laundry. He promises to wash it whiter than snow.