1. In the story of the Prodigal Son, the younger of the two sons became impatient with his life and asked for what he wanted before it was time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t mature enough to handle what he was given. He lost everything he had to famine and his wayward living. Have you ever gotten impatient and squandered resources? What did it cost you? What did you learn from the experience?
2. While the younger brother was out wasting much of his father’s hard-earned money, the older brother stayed home, diligently working and doing what was expected. So when his brother returned to such a warm welcome, he got frustrated since he had never gotten such a reception. While frustrated, he isolated himself from others, refused to participate in the party, which impacted his willingness to communicate with his family, and stayed away from an opportunity to celebrate a miracle. Have you ever remained faithful to someone or something but got frustrated with a lack of recognition or progress? Do you tend to (a) isolate, (b) refuse to participate, (c) stop communicating, or (d) stop celebrating? What’s something you can do to stop your cycle of frustration? 3. One of the ultimate takeaways from the story of the Prodigal Son is the forgiveness his father showed him. It imitates the forgiveness our Father in Heaven shows us when we decide to live apart from His will for our lives. Forgiving helps to avoid letting sin (like malice, jealousy, envy, slander, and more) take root in us. Who is someone you feel like God is encouraging you to forgive?
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