A friend, who used to play football with us, back in the day, got himself into some trouble peddling drugs at college when he was eighteen years old. He ended up in prison for a few years. After he got out, we had a good visit one night. I asked him, “How was it being in prison?” He never would tell me anything specific, other than it was terrible. He did tell me though, “If I ever do something where the police come to get me, and I know that I will be going back to prison, that will be the day I die, because I am not going back to prison.”

Years later, we met by chance at a gas station up on Interstate 70. I asked him if he was a Christian and had he made peace with his creator, because someday in the future I would like to see him in heaven? My friend said to me, “Yes, I have made peace with my creator, but since I have chosen to live my life like I have, I will be dead a whole lot sooner than you. So when you die, and get to heaven, I will be waiting at the Pearly Gate to welcome you in.”

No matter what we have done, no matter how deep a problem we have ourselves in, God will take us back with open arms. We are the ones that must turn 180 degrees around and stop running from God. Turn and face him today and he will come to meet you.

All of us are in some way, the Prodigal Son or Daughter.

Luke 15: 11-24 A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, how many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate.

A couple of weeks into my sophomore year of high school football, we went to the actual football field to practice special teams. I was assigned to the scout team kick off unit. We lined up and kicked off to the varsity kick return unit.

My position was right next to the kicker. As the return man caught the ball he ran to his right and I kept my eyes on him and closed in ready to make the tackle. Suddenly I was hit, but never saw who hit me and was knocked unconscious. When I came too, a senior was standing over me slapping me in the face saying, “Are you okay?”

I said to the senior, “Where’d you come from?” The senior answered, “I clipped you.” I said, “Why’d you do that?” He answered, “Coach said we had to knock down our assigned guy to block or we wouldn’t be starting Friday night, so screw you sophomore!”

I learned several things that day in practice:

1. There ain’t no referees at practice, so anything goes.
2. Keep your head on a swivel looking around and don’t focus exclusively on the ball carrier.
3. Sophomores were nothing but fresh meat for the varsity to chew up.

My feelings about getting even with this player were always confined to the football practice field during scrimmages. Some of our football players never felt that way. They wanted to get even immediately and then we had wrestling matches or fist fights at practice.

I knew an underclassman that waited four or five years and then found the guy he hated at football practice at the bar, challenged him to a fight and then beat the crap out of the guy.

Here is what the Bible has to say about revenge.

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

For a young guy full of testosterone this one is hard to live by, but the God of the universe is telling us the best way to live. Which of course we ignore most of the time and do it our own way.