HOW CAN YOU HELP A "PRODIGAL" CHILD

"Rejoice because . . . he was lost and was found." -Luke 15:32.



"I'M LEAVING the truth!"  How shocking it is for God-fearing parents who have tried hard to bring up their children in the Christian way to hear these words from a child!  Other youths just "drift away" without actually declaring their intentions.  (Hebrews 2:1)  Many of these resemble the prodigal son in Jesus' parable, who left his father's house and squandered his inheritance in a distant land. -Luke 15:11-16.

Though most of Jehovah's Witnesses do not have this problem, for those who do, no words of comfort can completely remove their grief. And not to be overlooked is the unhappiness.  Deep down, his conscience may trouble him.  In Jesus' parable, the prodigal son eventually "came to his senses,"  To the joy of his father.  How can parents and others in the congregation help prodigals to  'come to their senses'?

Next time: Why Some Decide to Leave
Watchtower, 2001