Don't Give Up

Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Never cease loving a person, and never give up on him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low could still be saved." The story of the prodigal son is fairly familiar, but just for posterity's sake, let's look at it.

Luke 15:11-32

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

The prodigal son was full of pride and arrogance. He demanded his share of the inheritance, even though he didn't truly deserve it. He went a squandered his riches and ended up with the pigs. He humbled himself and returned to ask if he could be his father's servant. But the father welcomed him as a son. The faithful brother was angry... but that is not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on the father. The father saw his son a long way off, and saw that he was returning home. He didn't just wait for him to get there. The father ran to the son to hug and kiss him. He was overjoyed with the son returning home. He didn't care about his squandered fortune. All he cared about was that his son was back and safe. The father didn't care about the sins of the son. All the father wanted was to celebrate that his son came  home. 

How often do we just give up on people? How often do we think that the draw of the world has them and so we aren't diligently looking down the lane for them to come back? How often has someone given up on you? Kierkegaard exhorts us to never give up on someone, because they could still be saved at any point.