Actually, most of the time I am unaware.
Like tonight, we had lifegroup and split up into small groups and read the passage Luke 15:11-32 about the prodigal son. We were talking about what God was saying through it and what we thought about when reading the passage. After about a 15 minute small discussion about how we are like the lost son, blah blah blah, how we are jealous and selfish like the other son, blah blah blah, Dagen suddenly brought up a point that I think is much more relevant than any of it.
He said when reading the story, the only thing he can focus on is the father...neither of the sons really stood out to him or taught him anything new because they do the same things that we do all the time. But the father was so steadfast, consistent, and compassionate through all of it that all the sudden we all took on this new perspective of this passage that we've torn up and talked about since, well, forever.
And I've just felt convicted about it since. Like, how can we read the word of God and of course focus on the people and the acts and what the people are doing and how we relate to them so much, but just completely ignore the role of the father through all of it?
How can I just focus on myself and how to improve myself and my actions so much that I just ignore the character and goodness and consistency of the father through it all?
I don't want to be unaware of the father...the most important part of this huge parable/story called life. I want to be aware of the father, learn from the father, see the father's character. He's the most important part of the story, anyway. I mean when you really think about it, studying the father's actions and his character gives me so much more hope that there is someone so loving and so consistent, no matter the state of my self, emotions, or my character.
That is all for today!
