Meditation ~ "Everything I have is yours"

It is noteworthy that when the father gently chides the brother of the prodigal son for his pouting, he does not rebuke him for wanting good things for himself. Instead, he reminds the brother that everything of the fathers, is already his! He's basically saying, "you're already rich. Why the long face?"

From this response, we can learn that God indeed wants us to desire to be happy. Sometimes, we think we would be "better" or "more holy" if we cared less about our own fulfillment. Holiness is too often presented as, "stop caring about your own happiness. Focus instead on other people and making them happy."

There is a sense in which this true. Selfishness is a fundamental obstacle and sometimes, to do right by someone else, we have to push through our own negative emotions and focus on their well being instead of ours.

This mindset works as long as we don't lose sight of the big picture. Trinitarian eternal life is all about joy and happiness. It's about God fulfilling our deepest desires in Himself. Fundamentally, the gospel is not about self-denial. Self-denial is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Self-denial is where we die to what is not eternal, what is not love, in us. Self-denial involves shedding that which is an obstacle to our happiness.

We know we're tasting Eternal Life, even now, when holiness is experienced as an end in itself and we delight in our relationship with God, knowing that our deepest desires are satisfied. We are not waiting for an additional "reward" or trade-off for our obedience. There are no strings attached. God indwells us and that is enough for us.

If we can reach that point, we will understand the father's comment. For him to throw a party for the returned prodigal was nothing in comparison to the riches of dwelling in his company, and already living in his house. The same is true for us. We are already rich. Do we experience this richness on a daily basis? When people who do not keep the commandments are blessed with marriage, children, successful careers, nice homes, vacations, and otherwise nice lives, do we have a sneaking resentment? Or do we remember that we already possess what is of infinite value?