A Reflection on The Return of the Prodigal

In my office hangs a copy of Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal based on the Luke 15 story.  It is the most amazing painting I have known and I reflect on it often.  Over the course of my time with it I have seen myself as the Older Brother standing, the spectator sitting, and especially as the kneeling younger son.  Here is one of those reflections:

To kneel, to bury my tattered and weary self in the lap of my father and with Him leave all.  All sin, all anger rightly held but un-wieldable, all my pride of which there is none not stripped from me, all dignity most of which has been stolen from me, all dreams for they have battled for primacy, all...all.  Older brother, I feel deeply sorry for you because you cannot do this, you cannot lay it all down but rather hold on to all.  I wish that your knee would bend and your head fall and that you would join me here in the lap of our Father.

I hope you fall down into the lap of the Father today.  Nothing brings more life.