Return of the Prodigal
Nov 27th, 2009 by admin
Dear friends,
“And the son said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet…” Luke 15:21-22.
Today’s letter is in response to a question from someone on the healing list and an observation from her sponsor:
H. wrote: “I have been wrestling with some thoughts and feelings for a long time and I have to know if I am a horrible person.” Her letter goes on to outline why she might be a horrible person.
“Her sponsor wrote: “I feel that part of her believes that her suffering makes her a better or more ‘good’ person.”
You will notice that H and the prodigal son in the passage from Luke have this in common. They believe that they have sinned or are in some way a bad person. Adam and Eve expressed the same beliefs. Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is his answer to the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. You will notice that Adam believed he was expelled and forbidden to return, but the prodigal son left voluntarily.
This is true of all of us in this fallen condition of believing we are separate from God. We believe that we have sinned or that we are a bad person. We also believe that if we suffer we can become a “better” person, and God will relent and invite us back.
Nothing could be further from the truth. God does not think that way. God created only perfect beings, and we are among them. God never expelled us from his heavenly state in which all needs are met, and we do not need to earn our way back. Like the prodigal son, we just need to go back.
The Prodigal Son Receiving His Portion of Inheritance - Murillo
Why then do we universally believe that we need to earn our way back to heaven? We believe it precisely because we voluntarily gave up God’s way of thinking for our own. We developed a split in our minds so that we make decisions on our own without Divine guidance. Therefore, we make mistakes and get ourselves into trouble. We will not make mistakes when we reawaken our ability to make decisions based on the intuition that will lead us to happiness.
God wants only the best for us, and like the father did with the prodigal son, He will give us the best of everything if we will let him.
Our job is to practice the kind of thinking that will heal the split in our minds and restore us to the thinking that will reinstate us to our former glory as perfect children of God. Healing prayer is the method we have chosen to develop this ability.
Next week we will consider the question: “Why don’t we change our self-defeating ideas that led to the split in our minds?”
As we join in healing prayer, let us ask Christ to confirm our inestimable worth in the eyes of God. As we see this same worth in the minds of others, we promote healing for all of us. Thank you for your invaluable part in the great work. 
Peace,
John