There was a wealthy business man who had two sons. The younger son said to his father, “You know dad, I wish you were dead so that I could go ahead and have what is coming to me. Better yet, give me my inheritance now.” Without hesitation, the father gave a third of his company and a third all he owned to his son. A few days later, the son sold his share of everything that the father had given to him, booked a ticket to Thailand, and got as far away from his father as he could.
He lived it up in Thailand, indulging in the exotic culture and throwing elaborate parties. But soon his fortune ran out, along with his friends. About the time that he ran out of money and lost his so-called friends, a pretty intense drought hit the land. Food was scarce, and people were desperate.
The son was so desperate that he begged for a job cleaning the rooms of a brothel in return for a corner to sleep in at night. Realizing that the prostitutes were living in better conditions than he was, he came to his senses, and decided to return to his father.
The next morning he went down to the ship dock and stowed away in the cargo hold of a merchant ship headed for America. During the long trip, he practiced over and over in his head what he was going to say when he saw his father. “Dad! I am so sorry! I have messed up big time. Not only have I sinned against you, but I have sinned against God. Please, let me work in the mail-room at your company.”
When the ship arrived in America, the father was in a CEO meeting, but when he heard of the son’s return, he left the meeting without a word and drove to the boat dock. As soon as the father had a glimpse of the boy, he ran onto the ship and embraced his son.
The son began to speak, saying, “Father, I am so sorry. I am not worthy of your love.”
But the father cut him off, and with tears streaming down his cheeks he said, “Son, come home.”
The father called his secretary and had her go through his phonebook and invite all of his friends and family to a party that night. The party was to celebrate the return of his son, and to announce the new name of the company, “Johnson and Son.”
When the older son came home from the office that night, the valet parkers were a sure sign that there was a party that he did not know about. He asked one of them what was going on and the worker said, “Your brother has returned, and out of his joy your father has re-named the company. The older brother stayed outside, refusing to celebrate the immaturity of his father’s youngest son.
His father went out to him and begged the older son to join the party, but he answered his father, “ I have been the example of the perfect son. All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a small promotion so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you re-name the company for him!”
“Son,” the father said, “you have not been the perfect son. You have been the perfect employee. Start acting like my son and start enjoying the blessings that are already yours. Now, we must go celebrate, for this son of mine was not my son for a time, but now he is part of the family again.”
