The Older Son

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, there wasn’t just one son who ran away. The older son was closer to home geographically, but oh so far away. And notice how the father has to go out after him (just like he went out after the younger son):

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. - Luke 15:25-28

One of the big challenges of being the older son is that our sins are less flashy so we can convince ourselves they aren’t there. Instead of drinking too much we judge too much, instead of visiting a prostitute we visit our grudges, and instead of having too much fun we have too little freedom.

The renowned author, Henri Nouwen, relates to the older son and reflects on how these ‘hidden’ sins signal that we’re a long ways from home: “Anger, resentment, jealousy, desire for revenge, lust, greed, antagonisms, and rivalries are the obvious signs that I have left home… I am constantly developing strategies to defend myself and thereby assure myself of the love I think I need and deserve. And in so doing I move far away from my father's home and choose to dwell in a "distant country.”

What are the ways you’ve let your religion or politics curtail your joy and freedom? What are the hidden sins that drive you away from God?