The Return

This a painting that is done by a Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn from the 1600s. The title of the painting is called The Return of the Prodigal Son.

I have encountered this picture 3 times this year alone. My first time was a book by Henri Nouwen with the exact same title of the painting, the second time was in a Emotional Health seminar, and the third time was in a sermon.

I am undeniably drawn to this picture even if I was not initially, but today I see so much richness in it that I did not the first time. I remembered over 12 years ago when I took an art appreciation class in college and I learned how to look at certain details and style of the art to be able to draw an understanding of the work, as well as the painters perspective about the subject.

The story of the prodigal son is one that is widely used and identified very much with our lives of how we are found in His salvation. But more particularly this picture talks about the return more than anything.

Today we wander around to figure out where we are and what is God's will for our lives. So we set out on this journey to discover what God has for us in this world but often fail to recognize that our discovery starts with knowing that we come from God and we need to return back to Him.

We have wandered far from Him from the very beginning and we are unaware of it until we fix our eyes on the fact that in the presence of God, everything is what it is suppose to be. There is wholeness in God and even those that are close to Him will never find themselves lacking.

If you are seeking after what God has for you in this life, your future, your desires, your purpose, find your way back to Him and discover that your place in light of your existence has is and has always been made whole when we realized that it is when we are dwelling with Him and not looking out there.

I admit that so very often I found myself wandering away from the church to discover what I am suppose to do and hoping that God would reveal to me something when I try out things outside. I find meaning in my skills, my studies, my experiences, my social circle, my job but in the end it is still God that has given me answers that no where else can give.

We have been so far from Him, we need to return back and rediscover what it means to be in fellowship with Him.