The Gift of Presence

The below entry was written by Ben Grice, Admissions Manager, Grand Canyon University


‘It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ –Luke 15:32

I can’t stop thinking about the parable, about the prodigal, the father, even about the ‘other,’ obedient son. The scripture above quotes the father, basically defending or justifying the party he was throwing his resuscitated son to his obedient one. This ‘other’ son, the one who had faithfully fulfilled the obligations/duties of a ‘good’ son, couldn’t wrap his mind around the nonsensicalness of the evening. Why would his father put out the snack mix, let alone kill and serve the fattened calf (the best they had) to celebrate the return of this foolish boy (after all, could he even be considered a man?), especially when even a lowly goat wasn’t offered to celebrate the stay-at-home son and his friends?
This son makes a strong argument—at least one you and I would be or have been tempted to make. As I read and reread the story, something became ever clearer: the obedient son WASN’T getting the short-end of the deal, not in the least. You see, he had the distinct advantage of being with the father the entire time his brother was away and alone. The father, he himself, was the gift, the reward. Not his mansion, not its amenities, nor the selection of meat on the dinner menu. The obedient son got to be in his father’s presence, if only he could have realized the treasure that was. And let me also guarantee you that the sounds of the celebration, when compared to being back in his daddy’s arms, largely rang hollow to the prodigal. No doubt his tear-filled eyes rarely left his father’s loving gaze that night, even despite the distractions of music, dancing and laughter. The prodigal realized, likely for the first time in his life, that his father was to be cherished, way over and above the false pleasures he pursued in his waywardness, or even the generous blessings bestowed upon his return.

And so it should be with us. While the insufficiency of pursued pleasures is apparent to many of us, the blessings of God, the things He graciously gives, can often cloud our view of what matters most—Him. He is the reward. He is why heaven is ‘heavenly.’ John Piper says it like this: ‘God is the gospel.’ Again, He is the good news, not just grace, or forgiveness, or peace, or reconciliation, or even love. He is the end—everything else, all these things that are good, is merely a means to get us to Him. And so how many of us limit ourselves and our opportunity for true delight by seeking and settling our satisfaction on the things of God, rather than on God Himself? I know I have and often do.

Ask yourself then, those of you who have remained with Him for the most part, do you find yourself taking life with the Father for granted? And for those who, like me, have made a habit of chasing after false fulfillments, do you, upon your return, relish most in His offered robe and fancy feast (as gracious and good as they are)? Or do you clearly recognize, as I believe the prodigal did, that the worst part of ‘being away’ is being away from the Father and the best part of ‘coming home’ is coming home to Him?

It’s a good, albeit tough, question to ask.