>>A teenage boy, had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father who happened to be a minister if they could discuss his use of driving the car. His father said to his teenage son, “Son, I’ll make you a deal. Bring up your grades, study your Bible, and get your hair cut and then we’ll talk about driving the car.” A month later, the boy came back and said to his father, “Can we talk about driving the car?” His father said, “Son, I’m very, very proud of you. You have brought your grades up tremendously and I see you study your Bible religiously one hour every day, but you still have not gotten your haircut.” The teenage boy thoughtfully said, “You know, dad, in reading the Bible, I’ve been thinking about it also. You know that Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus Christ had long hair.” His father said, “Son, you are absolutely right, but did you know they walked everywhere they went.” [laughs] I like that. I never failed to amuse myself. [laughter] 

You know the father knew his son, and God knows us better than we know ourselves. No matter what we do or say, most of us worry too much. Did you know that the German word for worry means to strangle? The German word for worry means to strangle. The Greek word means to divide the mind. Both are very accurate. Worry is a noose around the neck and distraction to the mind, neither of which is better or good for us. 

In today’s gospel. The two sons are really all of us. What do I mean? These two sons surface two themes which encompass our own journey of life. The first theme brought out by the actions of the two sons is a sense of personal worth, which is the backbone of human identity, the essential foundation of human happiness. The second theme is a sense of personal responsibility. 

In this context, I’ve often thought of people as owners or blamers. We either accept a personal responsibility for our lives by owning our actions and reactions, or we blame others for them. The word integrity, I love. Integrity means our words and actions fit. That’s what integrity means. Our words and actions fit. Be responsible, be true to your word, and our attitude must always be that of Christ. For living is a creative process, and creativity is sparked by contrast. 

This contrast is clearly revealed in the life of Jesus. Did you ever realize that when worry, anxiety, fear, or guilt enter our lives through the front door, peace and joy quietly exit through our back door? If we want to make a change in results, we have to make major changes in the way we do things. We are challenged to live the life of Christ. Live each day as though it were your last because one day you’ll be right.