Repentance and forgiveness
Few stories teach the twin lessons of repentance and forgiveness more movingly than Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son.
In this parable, a certain father had two sons. The older son always tried to do what was right. But the younger son was rebellious. He went far away and behaved disgracefully. When he at last realized his folly, he repented and returned home. When his father saw him coming, he ran to him, threw his arms around his neck, and welcomed him home with joy and feasting. This angered the older brother, who accused the father of treating the repentant son better than him. But the father taught him that it is right to rejoice when someone turns away from sin.
Families struggle every day with similar situations. In the parable, the younger son needed to repent, and the older son needed to forgive. In families, each of us at times will need to repent, forgive, and be forgiven. We can learn much about our Heavenly Father’s love and about the love we should nurture in our homes from the father’s example in this parable. Reading and considering this parable may help us feel more repentant and more forgiving.
Read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11–32.
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Families
