To the Resentful Older Brother

“Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”

Luke 15:31

There's another side to the story of the son who came home: the older brother, who kept working the whole time, who never caused a scandal, and who grew furious watching the celebration prepared for the one who had left and squandered everything. Maybe you identify with him more than you'd like to admit.

I understand that pain. It's hard to watch someone welcomed with open arms after years of doing everything wrong, while you worked hard the whole time and sometimes feel like no one noticed, no one threw a party for you. That resentment is real, and I won't pretend it doesn't make sense.

But I want to remind you of what I told the older brother: you have always been with me, and everything that is mine is already yours. My joy over the one who returns doesn't diminish my love for the one who never left. Don't let someone else's celebration make you forget that you too are celebrated, every day, even without a party marked on the calendar.