
Check out this story below. If you are Gen Z, I REALLY want to hear your opinion of it, especially if you identify with a shame-honor worldview. (Find your worldview here: https://theculturetest.com/)
There was this guy who had two sons. The younger one was like, “Dad, I can’t wait to get my share of the inheritance. Can I just have it now?” The dad, being super chill, was like, “Sure, why not?” So, he split the money between the two sons.
The younger son packed his bags and bounced to a faraway city. He lived it up, threw epic parties, and blew all his cash on wild nights. Eventually, he was broke. Like, literally, zero dollars. To make matters worse, a gnarly famine hit the land. Desperate for cash, he took a job feeding filthy pigs (yep, pigs) and was so hungry he even thought about munching on pig food. Rock bottom, right?
Then it hit him. He’s like, “Wait, my dad’s employees eat better than this. I should go back and ask if I can work for him.” So, he headed home.
While he was still a ways off, his dad saw him and was super hyped. He ran to his son, hugged him tight, and called for a huge celebration. The dad was like, “My son was lost but now he’s found! Let’s party!” (think Apt. “Sleep tomorrow but tonight go crazy!“)
Meanwhile, the older son was mad salty about this whole situation. He was like, “Yo, dad, I worked hard for you all these years and never got a party. This kid spends all your money and you throw him a bash?”
Dad was like, “Listen, everything I have is yours. But your brother was lost and now he’s back. We had to celebrate.”
Let’s break it down
Understanding the story…
- How do you think the father felt when his one son left home?
- How do you think he felt towards his son who remained home?
- When did the son hit rock bottom?
- Who had honor at the beginning of the story?
- Who experienced shame in this story?
- Who had honor at the end of the story?
- Where do you see that honor was restored?
Discovering good news in the story…
- What connections do you see between this story and cancel culture?
- What taboos are there in your community that could bring shame?
- Have you ever seen honor restored after a season of shame? How did it happen?
- What role does deep love have in overcoming shame?
- Is there anyone you know who has that kind of love?
- What difference could this make in your life?
- Who do you know that could explore this topic with?
Today’s tool for you (free)
Shame Honor Resource List: https://honorshame.com/recommendations/
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