Inheritance can foster much resentment between family members. But love can prevent and heal resentment. Nowhere is this truth better expounded than in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son asked his father to give him his share of the estate. So the father divided his property between his sons. The younger son squandered his wealth in wild living.

A theologian friend of mine (Paul Zahl, in his book, Grace in Practice, from which this article is extracted) maintains that there are three ways to empty a room. The first was to mention 'original sin.' The second was to refer to 'total depravity.' The third was to say that he did not believe in free will. Each of these expressions, especially the third, which is a negation, was sufficient to give him all the elbow room in the world.

It is possible to be so self-absorbed, so focused on one's agenda, one's to-do list, that the needs of others are ignored. The Type A individual who is task-oriented does not stop to think how rude he can appear to others as he rushes by on his way to achieve his goals. The person who is in the middle of a project does not realize how his irritation at being interrupted is apparent to others who need his help.

As the Bride of Christ we are grateful for his love, for his choosing us in love, for providing for us now and in our future, for making us part of his divine life. Because of this identity, we know who we are, and we rejoice in the privileges of our position. We are his family, his household, with constant access into his hospitable presence.