Lessons to Learn From The Prodigal Son Parable: Morals are values and norms that dictate what is right or wrong. They are rules or principles that serve as a guide for peaceful coexistence. The very nature of morals make them very important. One popular story that teaches morals is that of The Prodigal Son. It is a bible story (Luke Chapter 15) that comes from one of the parables of Jesus. Parables are meant to teach certain lessons, and this particular one is no different.
The parable tells the story of the younger of two sons, who demands for his own share of his father’s wealth. His father, though reluctant, gives it to him. He goes and spends all of it on frivolous things and it soon runs out. The younger son suffers lack for a while and decides to return to his father.
His father does not turn him away as you would suppose. The young man’s father welcomes him with joy. A feast is even held in honour of his return.
You may have your issues with the young man. Maybe even with his father for not teaching him a lesson for his foolishness. But what moral lessons can be learned from this story?
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Moral Lessons to Learn From The Story of Prodigal Son in the Bible
1. Do Not Be Overly Daring (negatively): Both good and negative implications can be found in the term audacious. It refers to someone who is disdainful of the law, religion, or decorum in its negative definition: insolent. It also includes a willingness to cause people to be offended. The younger of them requested that his father give him a share of his belongings.
As a result, he divided his profits equally between his two boys. Bypassing his older brother, the younger brother went to his father and asked for something offensive. When his father was still alive, he requested that he be given his own share of his father’s possessions.
That was obnoxious. Such items are generally exchanged after a father’s death. The young man clearly overstepped and acted without wisdom. Of course we see that he faced the heavy consequences of his actions. Taking daring steps is not wrong in itself. But one must properly weigh the consequences of his actions.
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2. Be Repectful Towards Your Elders: By making that request, the prodigal son showed no regard for his brother. He also didn’t show his father enough respect. Respect others, particularly those who are older than you and your superiors. Even the same bible from which the story is gotten teaches respect for elders.
Any child who honours and respects his father would not ask for such a thing at such a time. Honour and respect is vital.
3. Desire Your Father’s Will Rather Than Your Own: The prodigal son wants to do his own will rather than his father’s. His father had no intention of giving him his fortune when he requested for it, but he did so anyway. Because the eldest brother did not ask for his inheritance, the father did not give it to him. But he let the wayward son’s will be carried out!
Allowing your will to take precedence over God’s will for you is a bad idea. God’s will has already been fulfilled. God, like the parent of the prodigal son, occasionally lets us have our way and do what we want! This is quite risky.
It is generally assumed that an elder knows what is best for a young one. This is born purely from experiences of an elder. The Prodigal Son did not seek this wisdom.
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4. Don’t Turn Your Back On Your Parents: It is not wise your home when you are clearly not set for it. According to the story, the younger son took his belongings and moved to a faraway location not long after receiving his inheritance. It was clear that this had been his goal all along.
After receiving his share of the inheritance, he only stayed for a few days before leaving for another country. He most likely didn’t tell anyone about his plans. He turned his back on his family.
Don’t leave home too soon or run away from home, young man or woman. Children who are rebellious and do things they later regret. Many of them go through unnecessarily painful experiences. Some of them have lost their lives as a result of it.
5. Don’t Think You Are Wiser Than Your Elders: The prodigal son believed himself to be intelligent, much wiser than his father. That was why he sought his father for his inheritance in an overbearing manner. He thought he was wiser than his brother, who stayed to serve his father and refused to claim his fortune.
He most likely didn’t want the world to know what he was doing with his inheritance. As a result, he moved to a faraway place where no one could observe or advise him. Anyone who is not accountable to anyone is a danger to himself and others.
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6. Do Not Squander Your Resources: Avoid leading a life that is foolish and risky. Even with his inheritance, the wayward son could have done better. He may have gone to a distant country and made excellent investments. He had the opportunity to disprove his critics. He didn’t, though, because his motivation was flawed from the start.
According to the Bible, he traveled to that faraway land and spent all of his money on wild living. His entire fortune was spent on frivolous lifestyle. One must learn to manage his resources wisely. In investing, invest with caution.
7. Wealth Not Managed Will End In Poverty: This isn’t a difficult thing to understand. Any wealth that is not properly handled will eventually vanish. According to the account, once the young guy had squandered everything he had, a major famine broke out in the city where he was. For his daily meals, he eventually had to beg to work.
This is the effect of poor wealth management. His pride had blinded him, and he had convinced himself that he would be wealthy indefinitely. There is no such thing as endless wealth, after all. Unless you’re God, of course. But he forgot about it, and he suffered terribly as a result. At the very least, he was wise enough to return to his father.
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8. A Child Should Make His Parents Happy: When the prodigal son left his home, he made his father unhappy. When he returned to his father, his father exclaimed that he was supposed to be dead and gone. His father was saddened as a result. His long absence had made his father assume the worst.
Parents feel the very same way when their children leave home or indulge in other dangerous behavior. Instead of making your parents feel sad, make them happy. It helps them live longer and healthier lives.
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Conclusion
What have you taken away from the story of the wayward son? You have his story to learn from, even if he didn’t have anyone else’s faults to learn from. Don’t make the same mistakes he did. Don’t follow in the footsteps of the other prodigal sons. The right decisions made at the right time will give the right results.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.
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