Corporate IT Chick

During Bible study this week, we read the parable of the prodigal son. Like many people, I’ve always put my focus on the younger brother—the one who left, made mistakes, and came home.

But this time was different.

This time, I felt seen by the older brother.

His story reminded me that sometimes the hardest place to be is not the one who wandered away, but the one who stayed faithful.

Life has a way of making faithful people feel forgotten.

Sometimes it’s the woman who remains loyal in her marriage who experiences betrayal.

It’s the child who studied, obeyed, followed the rules, and gives their best, yet still gets overlooked by their parent(s). 

It’s the employee who consistently shows up, works with excellence, and carries the workload while someone else receives the recognition or promotion.

In those moments, it’s easy to ask, “God, do You see me?”

The older brother asked a similar question. He had worked faithfully, remained obedient, and carried his responsibilities. Then he watched his younger brother—who had wasted everything—receive a celebration.

From his perspective, it didn’t seem fair.

God isn’t blind to our faithfulness. He isn’t overlooking our obedience. Just because someone else’s story is being celebrated doesn’t mean ours has been forgotten.

Recently, someone shared something with me that I’ve held onto: “All the fruits of your labor will come around.” 

Those words reminded me that faithfulness is like planting seeds. We don’t always see the harvest immediately, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t growing something beneath the surface. Every act of obedience, every sacrifice, every tear, every late night, every prayer, and every time we choose integrity over convenience is a seed. In God’s timing, those seeds will produce fruit.

So if you’re in a season where you feel unseen, overlooked, or forgotten because you’ve chosen to do the right thing, don’t give up.

Keep fighting the good fight.

Keep showing up.

Keep walking in integrity.

Keep trusting God.

Because faithfulness is never wasted, and the God who sees the one who wandered also sees the one who stayed.

And maybe, like me, you’ll read this story one day and realize that God has been speaking to your heart all along.

Maybe that’s the encouragement the older brother—and all of us who sometimes feel overlooked—need to hear.

The harvest is still coming.