Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter

If you’ve been in church any amount of time, you’ve probably heard the term “prodigal son”. Which of course is referring to the parable in Luke 15, where a son leaves his father, squanders his inheritance and then realizes where he’s gone wrong and comes back to be re-united with his family.

I like to do word studies. I like to take note of words that stick out to me and see where they come from and what they mean in other languages. I decided to do this with the word “prodigal” after reading the story in Luke 15 earlier this week.

Now the word “prodigal” isn’t actually used in scripture, but we know what we are referring to when we use it. We typically use it when talking about someone who was close with God, and then walked away, but now is back in church.

After looking up the real meaning of the word “prodigal” it hit me, I am a prodigal daughter.

Yes, I had a season where I was struggling to understand the Christian life and after being exposed to a rather legalistic side of Christianity I decided that it wasn’t for me and I tried to find anything else that would fit me better. That didn’t get me anywhere so by God’s grace, I came back to Him, reunited and restored with a better understanding of what it means to be one of His Children. But, there’s more to it than that.

Prodigal: [prod-i -guhl] ;Adj.
       1. Giving or yielding with wasteful extravagance
       2. Spending money or substance recklessly

 So you see it wasn’t my return to the Father that makes me a “prodigal daughter”. It’s the fact that I recklessly wasted His riches. I took the gifts He gave me and wasted them, for my own purposes. What he intended to be used to further His kingdom, I squandered on the world.

For example, He gave me hope, and I lost it.

He gave me wisdom, and I ignored it.

He gave me love, and I refused it.

He gave me miracles, and I didn’t believe them.

He gave me healing, and I questioned it.

That’s what makes me a prodigal daughter.

But here’s what I know, your past does not determine your future. What you have done does not determine what you will do and when you realize the past has no power, then your future is filled with freedom. The story of the prodigal son doesn’t end when he wastes the gift he had been given, it ends when he repents.