The Inheritance

There was a certain man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the part of the property that falls to me". And he divided the estate between them.

And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose living. Luke 15:11-13

Some of us are fortunate enough to receive an inheritance, I did, from my grandmother. Only recently did I fully understand that nothing was left to my mother by her mother, yet she left her estate, which was not large, to the grandchildren. My mother used the funds to help buy us all a home and when it came time for us to inherit, she sold the home, which we had since moved away from and it was being rented out. It hurt my mother to not receive an inheritance as mum was faithful and endured much from my grandmother who, in latter life drank and often went into a diabetic coma as a result.

The son in this story did not appreciate his inheritance, he wanted to get away from restraint and live a life, he had been deceived into thinking was the 'best life.' My inheritance was used to pay for my wedding as mum and dad had nothing to give and my husband to be's family lived in England and could contribute nothing. My mum and dad did actually pay for the drinks at the wedding reception, which we appreciated. I do not know what my siblings used their inheritance for, I never asked.

The father in the story would have been hurt deeply, he loved his sons and wanted the best for them. The older son, who stayed behind, as a hard worker but inclined to be a martyer as his complaint shows in verses 28-30. He could not see the relevance of the repentance of the younger brother, only the unfairness and how his faithfulness seemed to have gained him nothing.

In hindsight, I am very grateful for all the sacrifices my parents made for me, although we didn't have much, I never knew us to be poor. However, I love to see repentance and the grace God pours out on the sinners. This is more important. Amen!