We are not owed.

I’ve been reading through the book of Luke, and in my reading I again came across Jesus’ story about a reckless son. The story starts something like this… Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man accepts sinners and eats with them." At that moment, Jesus looked at the religious leaders and told them three stories. The first one was about a lost sheep, followed by a lost coin, and finally a lost son. In the lost sheep story, Jesus shared how a shepherd leaves ninety-nine of his sheep to go find the one lost sheep, and when he finds it, he throws a party. In the lost coin story, a lady had ten silver coins but lost one. When she finds the coin, she throws a party. Jesus’ final story of the prodigal son gets a little bit more complicated. The younger of two sons asks his father for his portion of his father’s possessions. The father divides his possessions and gives the son his portion. Soon after, the son runs off to a nearby city. He lives a crazy party life off his father’s money until it all runs out. To survive, he gets a job feeding pigs in return for a meal of the same food the pigs eat. At that moment, he realizes that he is eating worse off than his father’s servants. He comes up with a great apology and treks home. When the son is still a distance away, his father sees him, runs to him and embraces him. The father then throws a huge party to celebrate his son’s return.

Enter older brother. He has been out in the fields all day, and as he’s walking home, he hears music and dancing. When he finds out that the party is for his younger brother who has come back home, he refuses to join in. The father comes outside to share the joy of the moment with his oldest son, only to be cut deep by his son’s greeting statement: 'Look here! All these years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a feast of even a goat, so that I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has wasted your money with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' The father tries to comfort his son and finally says, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

I have heard this story a million times and honestly I wanted to skim through it this past time. But as I kept reading, I realized how easy it is to become each character in the story. This particular time, I found myself as the older brother. I found myself staring straight at God and telling him he owes me something. – Excuse me?!!! Who the heck am I? I’m just a little Sergei and I don’t deserve anything but what God gives. Yes, I had a hard week with getting my license and registration because of (awesome) laws in the state of Colorado, but I don’t have the right to play a victim. These laws that they have were here before me and the world does not revolve around me. And why am I demanding a party from God because of my righteousness? Every day is a party, because what is His is mine.

I hope you are reminded that you’re part of God’s story, and when things aren’t going your way, it’s because they are not supposed to. You are not the main character in this story of life, He is. It’s His story. Instead of complaining, we can join the party; look to Him; be fully alive: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God." (St. Irenaeus)