We don't carry the prodigal on our shoulders.
Helping those who have left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
If you enjoy this or it resonates with you, consider supporting me as an independent writer by sharing it and becoming a paid subscriber for just $6/mo, Thank you.
There are many reasons why people stop attending church.
A question many of us ask is, how can I help someone I love come back to the covenant path and rekindle their faith in Jesus Christ and his restored church.
There is no universal answer to this question since each of us is unique. It would be foolish to prescribe a one size approach to helping individuals who struggle with their faith, their covenants, and their membership in the Church.
I believe that one of the lessons Jesus was trying to teach us in Luke 15, was that our response in helping people depends on their situation.
In Luke chapter 15 Jesus gave the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son in quick succession.
Here are some thoughts I have had regarding these three parables and how they relate to us helping people who have left the church.
Some of us wander off like sheep and get unintentionally lost, when this is the case, Jesus is saying that we are to leave the 99 and go looking for the lost sheep until we find them and carry them back to the fold on our shoulders. Those who are lost and then found, are probably as happy as the one who is searching when they are found. Most of us have felt lost in our lives and have experienced the relief we feel when we are found.
Others of us are like coins, who get lost through the neglect of others. Coins don’t have legs like sheep to wander off. If a coin is lost, it is often through our negligence. Sometimes we lose people through our lack of care. We don’t always take care of one another as we ought. But as soon as we realize that we have lost someone, we should immediately set about rectifying and repairing until we find and secure them who we have lost.
Then there’s those of us who intentionally and often rebelliously walk away from Jesus Christ and his church. For whatever reason, we believe that life will be better for us to take our inheritance and leave. I find it interesting that with this final group, Christ doesn’t teach us to go out and find them.
Instead he tells of how a father just sat, waited and watched for the return of his wandering child. And when he saw him on the horizon heading home, ran out and embraced them.
Of course it’s sad when we see those we love and care about wander off, get lost, or leave. But if our desire to help is genuine, a critical question to ask ourselves is whether our loved one is a sheep, a coin, or a prodigal.
The best way to respond depends on our honestly and accurately answering that question. If someone we love is a prodigal, we don’t chase after them and try to carry them back on our shoulders, instead we sit and wait, ready to run and welcome them if they choose to come back.
Book Club
Do you like to read and discuss non-fiction, or is it a goal of yours to read more? If so, participate in my monthly book club! It’s all online so you can participate in the weekly discussions anywhere in the world. You can view the reading list and schedules for free, but to participate in the weekly discussion threads, you’ll need to become a paid subscriber for just $6/mo… I look forward to hearing your insights!
