Posted for Father's Day - June 18th 2023
The Prodigal Son - The Path to the Pigpen
Luke 15: 11-13
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate. So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the young son got together all he had, set off for a distant country, and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
As I read this scripture, I question the young man’s reasoning for leaving a father who loved him and a promise of a secure financial future. When we examine the Prodigal Son’s decision, we see it as very unwise. We might wonder, “What was he thinking? How could he make such a 'crazy' decision to walk away from everything in his Father’s House?”
His “Path to the Pigpen” began in his heart. He had eyes that wandered and a heart’s desire to go to “what he thought to be” a better place. Luke 15:13 tells us that he left as soon as he had his money, setting off to a distant country, where he spent it all on wild living. We must be warned of the Prodigal Son’s mindset. The devil came to kill, steal, and destroy our lives, and he is about his business to blur our vision, break our hearts, and take captive our thoughts!
Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” This means it is inherently untrustworthy, polluted, and prone to irrational rationalization. It tricks individuals into believing false things about themselves and God, obscuring truth to justify sinful actions. As the Prodigal Son schemed to take his inheritance and seek this new life, we can see how he ultimately took the “Path to the Pigpen.”
Characteristics of a Misleading Heart:
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Misleading individuals into believing their new, slippery path is safe.
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Incurably sick to cause terminal spiritual disease.
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Source of Error as it leads to destructive actions and causes people to rely on fleeting emotions rather than truth. Breeds negative emotions.
What Are Your Thoughts about the Path to the Pig Pen?
Unfortunately, the Path to the Pigpen is not the “Road Less Traveled.” Life, with its many trials, breeds mixed emotions. We have to guard our hearts and minds so as not to fall victim to our own self-inflicted behavior.
Warning Signs
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Discontentment is dissatisfaction, displeasure, uneasiness, restlessness, unhappiness, and disgruntlement.
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Mindset of depression, hopelessness, feeling unlovable, invisible, and withdrawing from others to the point of being paralyzed emotionally, unable to do the work God has for you to fulfill your purpose designed for your life.
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Restless desire or craving for something that we do not have?
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WHAT WARNINGS WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS LIST?
In the last line of the poem "The Road Less Traveled" by Robert Frost, we read a bold statement.
“I took the one less traveled by, And that made all the difference.”
Geneva Galloway
