Lets take a trip back to your grade school days. Do you remember the moments when receiving an invitation to a Birthday party was such a huge deal!? That feeling of being chosen to partake in the festivities, or thinking in your mind, “Oh, Wow! This is really for me?”
God has been opening my eyes to the concept of personally inviting people into my life. To wrestle with the thought of opening my heart to even MORE people, so that they can see the good, bad, and the ugly. And in the midst of these thoughts, knowing that everyday when I wake up I have the same invitation to dance with Jesus for the rest of my life.
Every year my church, Crossroads, does an all church journey for six weeks, where the community gets raw and real with each other about life. In 2012 this series was called A Journey Home. Here is a little background about the A Journey Home series: “At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt like we didn’t quite belong. Maybe we’ve been ignored at parties, been called names on the playground, struggled at our jobs or relationships, or wondered if our friends only stuck around because we were the one with a car. We didn’t feel at home in these situations, so we put up a good front. We try to work or impress our way into approval. And we may have gotten pretty good at it. But no matter how successful and in-control the world sees us, we can still find ourselves feeling alone or exhausted by the efforts.”
In the Fall 2012 it was a little over a year from when I decided to be a completely committed follower of Jesus. That year was one of my roughest years of being a Christian. I had gotten wrapped up in my past sin and was being strangled by the enemies lies that he so loved whispering into my ears. I was at such a fragile state, I didn’t have much community around me, I decided to tell no one what was happening and put a mask on to hide my emotions. I was asked by one of my very dear friends to join her group. I was the youngest one there by 20 years. I remember sitting quite most nights, thinking, “they know what I have done. They are judging me! And I will never be accepted by them.” In week four we were studying the story of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
Here is the story in Hope Standard Version (HSV). There was a man who had two sons. One day the first son said to the father “hey, I would like you to give me my portion of your money.” So the loving father gave him his share. The Son spent EVERYTHING that he had on whores and things of the world. This son quickly realized that he was running out of money, he was starving, and he knew he had to go back to his father. The son was walking back to his Father’s house (HE WAS MILES AWAY) his father SPRINTED to him. The son started to say “Father, I have sinned against God, I’ve sinned against you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.” The Father had not paid any attention to what the son had just spoken. He told his servants to get THE BEST fattened calf to have a feast with, THE BEST robe and put it on his son, and gave him the family ring. In the mean time, the second son is flustered by the festivities. The second son says to his father ” I have been by your side this whole time. I have never gotten a party like this, but my brother goes and spends all your money and you do this!?” The father looks at his second son and states ” this brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and is found! Lets Celebrate!”
I quickly realized that this story was not just another story in the Bible. This was God’s invitation to me to come back home. No matter what sin I had redone, no matter what I felt people were thinking about me, and no matter the lies that were so embedded in my head by the enemy. God’s whisper was louder, He said ” I don’t care what you have done, I want you anyways.” The Prodigal Son is the way God viewed me. He would clothe me with the best clothes, give me the best food, and give me the Family ring. And you know what else? God is inviting you to come home to His loving arms as well! Let the TRUTH of the words in this video wash over you.
Just a few more notes to ponder on. “Jesus is extending his hand to you. He is inviting you to dance with him. He asks, ‘May I have this dance…every day of your life?’ His gaze if fixed on you. He is captivated by your beauty. He is smiling. He cares nothing of the opinion of others. He is standing. He will lead. He waits for your response (Captivating).” How will your RSVP look to the invitation that God is calling you to answer? My hope and prayer is that you would choose to dance with Jesus today, and everyday for the rest of your life.
My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” (Song of Solomon 2:10)
Just like Paul, this is my prayer over you. ” I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together will all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
In It For Good With Him,
Hope
