“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot
The end of exploring, for the truly broken, born-again believer in the Christian realm, is to return to his roots and his (Father’s) home, in a spirit of humility because he has tried everything else and it has been found wanting. From that point, he begins again, but with a different attitude and understanding.
Such is the essence of the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), who despised what his father could give him and knew, absolutely knew, that he could do better on his own, without the restraining influence of older wisdom. In the end, after wasting everything he had been given, there was nothing left but to admit he had been wrong, to confess his failings, to beg forgiveness, and to ask for nothing except the chance to start over again, this time from the very bottom.
When you’re in a hole, stop digging. If you hit bedrock before you quit, there’s only one direction to go–up. Well, I suppose you could go sideways to avoid climbing out. But that would be really stupid, now, wouldn’t it? Been there, done that.
“The most radical idea today is not rebellion but humility.” — Mark Keenan
Jordan Peterson addresses the flip side of this in his book, We Who Wrestle with God1, while discussing the issue of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:
“Cain wishes most devoutly for God to take responsibility for the pain and disappointment attendant on human existence. God upbraids him in a manner precisely opposite to what he most longs to hear. Cain’s request is therefore not only rejected: God turns the tables on him. This makes Cain even more unhappy and vengeful. It is one terrible thing to have your sacrifices rejected, and to fail. A whole new level of existential misery emerges, however, when you are informed in some incontrovertible manner by exactly what or who your are accusing that your own conduct is fully and completely to blame for your failure and misery; that you have made everything much worse than it had to be by your refusal to do even what you know to be right. This is a very damning judgment…” (emphasis mine)
There are multitudes of people in this world who act like Cain, blaming anyone and everyone, except themselves, for their troubles and, because of their irresponsibility to own up to their failed actions, the situation only gets worse. The Prodigal Son, on the other hand, while foolish and irresponsible at first, eventually wised up, admitting that he was the only one who could be blamed for his predicament. He was the only one who had gotten himself into trouble. He willingly opened himself up to the judgment and potential penalty imposed, should his father decide to exact one, but because he honestly stated his sin in a humble and contrite manner to his father, forgiveness was granted and he was welcomed home with open arms and the best the house could provide.
My God! Why did it take so long? And where do I go from here? Well, for starters, I have to admit that I am the only one who can take the blame for the mess I’ve made of my life. When I die (not terribly far off now) and face God in His courtroom, I will be alone, totally alone, and there will be no excuses made, no blame cast, no attempts at escape. I daresay, however, if the parable of the Prodigal Son is true in its meaning, then God will simply say, “My boy! You’ve been away a long time. Come on in!”
And all of the past will be forgotten. Forever.
- Jordan Peterson, 2024, Penguin Random House, 3rd printing ↩︎
Poor Roger's Almanac 