We can divide the Parable of the Prodigal Son into 4 chapters and reference it to get unstuck and stop acting pathetic.
Quote:
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them.
A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.
He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’
Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”
Chapter 1 is the life of the elder son. It’s about conformity and being socially acceptable in exchange for decreasing levels of security, comfort, and validation. It’s pathetic because of the compromise and manipulation involved.
Chapter 2 is the life of wild living. It’s impulsive, rebellious thrill seeking, focused on immediate gratification. It’s pathetic because it is shallow with no medium to long term value. It’s meaningless.
Chapter 3 is about knowing and unifying with the dead man. It involves an emphasis on work, discipline, and meaning. Chapter 3 is a response to chapters 1 and 2. Still, chapter 3 is unsustainable and leads to frustration and anger. That anger gets directed outward at people around you. This is pathetic because other people are not the reason why you’re stuck. At this point, your anti-social behavior spooks yourself and you inevitably go back to chapter 1 and repeat the cycle.
The point of the parable is to show that it is possible to get unstuck from this pattern and level up. In chapter 3, as the dead man, frustration and anger are like a hot potato. You can only hold it for so long, but within that anger is the desire for justice.
The desire for justice can be held onto long enough to progress forward. In order to do this, you have to impede the impulse to outwardly express frustration and anger externally. Forgiveness and reframing are necessary tools here. You can then use the desire for justice and your contempt at your own pathetic behavior to redirect that energy inward.
Now, the enemy will panic and attempt to disrupt you with victim narratives. He will also attempt to bring you back to previous chapters and detach you from the dead man. Finally, he will provide you with a connection to God and level you up just like he does for the dead and lost son in the parable. This is what it looks like when the enemy loses and compromises.
You don’t need to know why this works. You won’t be able to understand it. You just need to have enough contempt for your pathetic behavior and do it.
