The Return of the Prodigal Son
Henri J. M. Nouwen
One of the things that has stayed with me from this book is the recognition that we are each of the characters in the story.
There are times when we are the younger son, wandering away and needing to find our way home. There are times when we are the older son, standing nearby yet unable to rejoice in the mercy being offered to another. And there are moments when we are invited to become more like the father, offering the welcome and forgiveness we ourselves have needed.
What strikes me most is that God is always about forgiveness. We may struggle to forgive ourselves or one another, but God's welcome remains.
I have come to believe that forgiveness may be the greatest blessing we receive—and one of the greatest blessings we can offer.
To be forgiven is to discover that our failures need not have the final word. To forgive another is to release something that may have held both of us captive. And to forgive ourselves is sometimes the hardest work of all.
Perhaps coming home is not only about discovering that we are loved and forgiven. Perhaps it is also about becoming people through whom that same forgiveness finds its way into the world.