I read about this interview on H. Norman Wright book "Loving Your Prodigal" and I thought that it is quite good. The way it define "prodigal" bring new meaning. I always thought it is referring to someone who "run away" or someone who "left the Christian faith" but now he/she is returning.
Here is the extract of the definition of the term prodigal from the interview.
What do you mean by the term prodigal?
The word is used to describe someone who is extremely wasteful. In the biblical story of the prodigal son, the son wastes his inheritance and so much more. Prodigal children waste the values their parents have worked to instill in them. They waste their potential, their abilities, their health, their future. In some cases, they waste their lives. For the sake of our discussion, I consider a child who has rejected the values of his family to be a prodigal, even if that child still lives at home, even if that child is 12 years old.
To read answers to other questions, please click here.
Is there anything parents can do that will keep a child from becoming a prodigal?
You mentioned early signs of rebellion. What are they?
How does a parent maintain that kind of awareness with an 11-year-old who insists on privacy or a 14-year-old who won't talk about anything?
So if a child does rebel, despite the parent's best efforts, it must be devastating. How can parents deal with the emotions that come with a prodigal child?
In your book, you talk about the shame factor that often keeps parents from seeking support from friends or even from their church. How can parents move past that shame?
How can those of us who haven't dealt with this ourselves reach out to families who might be too embarrassed to talk about their prodigal child?
What can parents do to bring their prodigal back home, literally or figuratively?
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