This week in our Seen, Known, and Loved series, we are turning our attention to Jesus’ third parable found in Luke 15, the parable of the Prodigal Son. It’s a parable you probably know well, but one that continues to speak directly to our hearts because this story is our story too.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we have all had moments when we have wandered far from home, times when we turned away from God’s love and tried to make it on our own. And like the younger son, we have also felt the grace of being welcomed back, embraced, and restored. But Jesus’ parable doesn’t end there. It also invites us to see ourselves in the older brother, the one who is often forgotten in the retelling of the parable. The older son is the one who stayed home, did the right things, but struggled to celebrate grace when it was poured out on someone else.
The truth is, many of us live somewhere between those two sons. We know what it is like to be forgiven, but we sometimes forget that others are just as loved and valued by God as we are. When we forget this, our hearts can grow guarded, judgmental, or even resentful.
That is why the spiritual practices of Paying Attention and Deep Listening, are so important. To truly love as God loves, we must listen beneath the surface. Pay attention to the people you see every day, to their stories, struggles, and hopes. Listen not to respond or correct, but to understand and to honor the Image of God in them.
As you move through your week, try this: when you find yourself ready to speak, pause for a moment. Take a breath, and choose to listen deeply instead. Ask questions that invite others to share more. Pay attention to what God might be saying through them.
When we practice deep listening, we begin to know others, and ourselves, the way God knows us—with compassion, patience, and love that never gives up.
God bless,
Jonathan Smith
For Jesus. For People. For Community.