Feeding Pigs

Grant didn't mind helping out on his uncle's farm. Some parts of the job were even fun. But there were a few things his uncle asked him to do that Grant could do without--like taking care of the pigs."They're just so messy," Grant said after helping his uncle feed the pigs.Uncle Ron laughed. "They are messy," he agreed. "You know what they always make me think about?""Not me, I hope!" Grant made a face. "I'm not that stinky and messy."Uncle Ron laughed again and led him toward the house. "No, not you. They make me think about the parable of the prodigal son in the Bible. Do you remember it?""Sort of," Grant said.They went inside and washed up, and then his uncle grabbed his Bible from the shelf in the living room. "Jesus told a story about a young man who wanted to get away from home. He asked his dad for his inheritance--the money he would get when his dad passed away--and he took it and left."Grant sat down and nodded. "He did some bad things with the money and ended up poor really quickly, right?""He did," Uncle Ron said. "But do you remember what happened to make him realize that he could go back to his father and ask for forgiveness?"Grant shook his head."He was taking care of pigs." Uncle Ron smiled. "He was hungry enough to eat what he was feeding them. Then he realized that his father's servants had a better life than him and decided to ask his dad if he could be like one of them."Uncle Ron opened the Bible and pointed out the story. "But when he returned home to ask his dad to let him come back as a servant, his father ran out and hugged him, and he forgave him and took him back as a son. Just like God forgives us when we make mistakes and loves us as His sons and daughters.""I'm never going to look at the pigs the same way again," Grant said."You're going to enjoy feeding them now?" Uncle Ron asked.Grant wrinkled his nose. "Well, they still stink," he said. "But it might not be quite so bad." -Bethany Acker