This is for you; dads and moms who are grieving over the heartache that your second child gives you. The lesson of the second child is for you, the first child of your parents. You wonder why your parents lavish more love on your younger sibling than on you. Secondarily, it is for you, the second child of your parents. You tend to take your parents’ love for granted and want nothing to do with your father.
Finally, the lesson of the second child is for all believers because each of us is God’s second child. Jesus is the first-born child, the only-begotten child of God. The rest of us are adopted, second children. This seems like a good place to mention that God has no grandchildren. That is one of the reasons Jesus cautioned us not to call anyone on earth father. Of course, you can call your father in the flesh “father.”
But once you call someone father spiritually, you make yourself a grandchild of God. And only if that one you call father is a child of God, of which you cannot be sure. And even if your spiritual father is God’s child, you may lose out in the end. That is because there is no place or inheritance for grandchildren in God’s Kingdom. Hence the stern warning that Jesus gave to His followers.
We must return to the lesson of the second child. You may know the story as the parable of the prodigal son. First, you note that the bible recounts the parable as part of a series of losses. There was the lost sheep and there was the lost coin Finally, Jesus told of the lost son. So, some bible scholars refer to this as the parable of the lost son.
The Lesson Of The Second Child For Parents
A lady ran after me once as I finished making a presentation to a Christian gathering; she was desperate. Her second child was giving her horrors and she wanted me to pray with her for patience. The child was wayward, nonchalant, a spendthrift, and so forth. Leaning into my knowledge of the lesson of the second child, I smiled. But before she had time to become angry that I was smiling at her pain, I explained to her.
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The Coin Was Lost Within The House
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What she needed was not patience, but love, just like the father of the prodigal son. Despite his son not wanting to have anything to do with him, he never stopped loving his son. And that love eventually won out. In the distant land, where he had wasted his means in prodigal living, the lost son came to himself. I joined the lady and we prayed for love in her heart for her second child.
Since then, I have been amazed at how many parents have grieved over their second child. But once they understand the lesson of the second child, peace reigns. First, they realize they are not alone in suffering from a second child. Secondly, they know that the child’s prodigal ways have an endpoint. Finally, they realize that it has spiritual applications.
And although their second child continues with his wasteful ways, parents can genuinely pray for their child. As they pray, they discover that their love for their child grows. They know that his loss is temporary. That is what an understanding of the lesson of the second child will do today for a father or mother.
The Believer And The Lesson Of The Second Child
Perhaps you are angry with your second child. He is wasting your hard-earned money and not contributing at all to the upkeep of the home. You often see him with undesirable elements, both male and female. And nothing you say seems to change his mind. Your tears have made your pillow wet on many a night. It seems that you have no prayers or time left for your other children; this second one takes up all of it.
Relax. All you need is love. Such love can only come as you start to understand the lesson of the second child. You see, the real lesson is that you are God’s second child. And it was love that motivated God to send Jesus to die for us. God adopted you into His family through Jesus Christ’s life and death. And, guess what, you are prodigal until you return to the lover of your soul.
In God’s family, I was prodigal until I returned home. The bible says we all like sheep, have gone astray. Think back, what is your second child doing that you have not done worse to God? He calls but we ignore Him; the more He entreats us, the farther away we go from Him. We waste our years in sinful living.
Jesus Is Not Churlish
Now, as you look into your own heart, you see what God suffers for us. That is the lesson of the second child – the agonies that God goes through for us. It is the same way we grieve God’s hearts with our nonchalant attitudes. He did all the work and all we want is the benefit. Or as the son in the parable said, “the portion of goods that falls to me.” We cannot lift a finger to help build the home. How we must grieve our Father’s heart!
We must not forget the other party in the parable – the first son. He turned churlish and accused his father. He failed to realize that everything that belongs to his father was his. Thank God that our big brother – Jesus – is not like that. And that is the lesson of the second child if you are the firstborn of your parents. As it is in heaven, so it is on earth.
https://youtu.be/5PFfdSVuMH8?t=267
Simply live your life to the fullest because everything that God has belongs to you anyway. If nothing else, that is proof that the parable is for us as believers with Jesus as our big brother. Because of the love that the Father has for Jesus, He gave all things into His hand. And you are a joint heir with Christ. Just ensure that you belong to Jesus. And the lesson of the second child will not be wasted in your life.
Maranatha!
