Leadership Echo: Prodigal 2 - Sonny and the Clarity of Rock-Bottom

“When he came to his senses, he said… ‘I’ll get up, go to my father…’” Luke 15:17-18

Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to see clearly. A lot of young adults are moving back home these days. Maybe college wasn’t the right fit. Maybe a relationship fell apart. Maybe the economy is too uncertain. But before the return, something else has to happen, something deeper.

They have to face a moment of clarity: “I can’t do this on my own.”

That’s where a prodigal named Sonny found himself. He had burned through his wealth and his friendships. But the emptiest moment wasn’t when the food ran out; it was when he realized how far he had wandered from relationship, from wisdom, and from his father’s love. He came to his senses in his own moment of clarity.

This plays out the same way in the professional world. In the military, individuals are forced to hit bottom in order to be rebuilt with a new mindset. In most workplaces, rock bottom may arrive in the form of unpredictable failure: a poor decision, a misjudged client interaction, or simply the slow unraveling of pride.

Good leaders recognize the clarity that failure can bring. They have the wisdom to leave space for growth without letting someone fall off a cliff. These leaders use guardrails. In times where a team member is at their lowest, a humble leader offers guidance that teaches without shaming and protects without removing responsibility.

Sonny’s spiral to rock bottom wasn’t the end of the story. That’s where he found the beginning of repentance. When you put in the work of humble leadership, you can offer clarified turnarounds for your team, your family, and even yourself.

Take time to reflect this week: Clarity and truth echo loudest when we are at our most vulnerable. Remember a time that God’s grace carried you out of a rut.

How did you feel when a leader humbly guided you through your rock bottom moment—or when you guided someone to their moment of clarity?