The story is not just about lack of respect for a parent, noticeably not just by the brother who was the prodigal, but also I would suggest by the brother who stayed behind. It is also a story of self discovery, mercy and forgiveness. The prodigal chooses to run away, looses everything, comes back prepared to be a slave and finds himself reinstated as a son. A complete shock to his system no doubt!
In accepting his fathers forgiveness, he undoubtedly had to learn to respect himself again, to put aside all that he had failed to achieve, the pain he had brought to his father and family and the ultimate sense of failure that he must have experienced. Instead he had to accept that he was forgiven and restored to his place within the family, that the past was gone and that once again he could live in full knowledge of his fathers love. Its a powerful story and one that can become too familiar to us, but it is important that self respect sits along side our respect for others.
In a world where our children are bombarded with things that seek to make them feel inadequate and in need, self respect is a powerful force that we need to instil in all of those we care for and work with. To enable them, as Nelson Mandela once said, to cast off their chains and find freedom to be who God created them to be.
