Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 2 Peter 1:3 (The Message)
There are invitations and there are invitations. Some invitations are to swanky parties where you feel you need to rush out to purchase new “party clothes.” Shoes that are too tight, skirts and shirts that show off the muscles we’ve been developing through our visits to the gym, and ties that threaten to strangle us. Our jewelry needs to be cleaned and you need to brush up on your vocabulary and the current political stage.
Some invitations are casual, come-as-you-are parties where a few (or several) of your best friends are just going to hang out together. You can wear your favorite jeans with the white stress points and the rips at the knee or those cargo pants that you’ve had for a few years that have managed to fit just right. You can toss on that raggedy T-shirt from the back of the closet and your favorite flip-flops. You can say whatever you want to say, or you don’t have to say anything at all, and you’ll fit right in.
The best part of invitations is that we get to choose which ones we accept. If the invitations come from solid friends, it doesn’t matter how swanky or how low-brow the party is. There will be a time at the party when we’ll meet our friend’s eyes and we’ll both break out in laughter.
If we know nothing about the person inviting us, it’s hard to know what to do. It’s possible that there could be others there that we might enjoy their company; but it’s also possible that we won’t fit in anywhere. In that case, it will be a short party for us, and we can move on down the road to visit with someone who understands us.
There is a famous picture of Jesus knocking on a door. Below or beside the picture is Rev. 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus is hand-delivering an invitation to the best party in town. The host at this party has paid attention to each of us individually and knows us inside and out. He knows if we’d rather have delicate canapes or messy BBQ ribs, and he can provide both.
Even better, he can steer us to those people we can most relate to. If we feel more comfortable dressing up for a party, he’ll introduce us to others with dresses and ties. If we feel more comfortable in more relaxed clothes, he’ll steer us to kindred souls. Even better — the more we get to know our host, the more we discover the things he would like the most from each of us whether it’s time spent with others or just taking a walk with him.
Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She has recently published her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, which is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.
