The father had two sons. He loved both his sons very much and wanted them to develop emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. The father gave of himself, spending as much time with his sons as he could. He trained them and loved them. The sons were sharp mentally and secure emotionally. The father provided for his sons materially so they had no physical needs. The father also took his sons to church. He prayed with his sons and for his sons. The sons had a solid spiritual example given to them by their father. 

One day the younger son, still more boy than man, tired of life at home and asked for his inheritance so he could go out and find his own place in the world. The father, as was his custom, gave. He gave the younger son his possessions, his blessings and his freedom. Freedom to succeed or freedom to fail. After the younger son left, the father continued to give. The father prayed for his younger son, that he would succeed and that he would return some day. 

The younger son, intoxicated with his new found freedom began experimenting with all sorts of things he had not experienced at home. Before he realized it the money from his inheritance had all been squandered on riotous living. The younger son was penniless and too embarrassed to return home. He hadn't written or called home to let his father know how things were going. But his father knew - through the grapevine, neighbors and acquaintances had let him know about his son's outrageous carrying on. True to his nature, the father gave. The father gave his son his dignity by not scolding him or rescuing him from his folly. The father continued to pray for his younger son and waited patiently for the seeds he had planted to bear fruit. 

The younger son tried to make it on his own but his luck went from bad to worse, from disaster to calamity. The younger son found himself sinking to unimaginable depths, simply to survive. No one would treat him fairly, let alone help him in his troubles. Then the son remembered his father's servants were treated fairly and compensated well for their labor. He longed to return home - as a servant in his father's house he would be much better off. There was one small problem - he had rejected his father and everything he stood for. Would his father reject him and condemn him? His father had always been merciful, surely if he apologized for his many mistakes and begged for mercy his father would be merciful and let him return as a servant. 

The young man made the long, difficult journey back to his father's home. When he was nearing home he saw someone running toward him. In the distance he couldn't tell who it was but as the distance decreased he could see it was his father running toward him. He quickly rehearsed his speech for mercy one last time before his father jumped on him. His father was hugging him and kissing him and didn't even seem to hear as he tried to blurt out his rehearsed speech. Once again the father gave. The father gave his younger son respect, clothing him with the best robes and welcoming him back with a feast of celebration. The father had given away something he couldn't keep and in turn had received something he couldn't lose. The father had given the boy his freedom and in turn had received the undying love and loyalty of his son, now a man. 

The older son saw things differently. Why should this rebel, this disgrace to the family be treated royally? Old feelings of sibling rivalry were stirred up as the older son compared himself with his younger brother. Was the father playing favorites, treating the other son better despite his disobedience and disgraceful behavior? Jealousy and resentment boiled in the older son's blood, he wanted no part of the celebration welcoming his brother back. The father, as was his custom, gave. The father gave the older son his love, reassurance and the freedom to love his brother. The father gave the older son what he couldn't keep and prayed that once again he would receive something far more valuable that he couldn't lose - the love of one brother for the other.