Many years ago Todd called me from campus and said, "Hey, I ran into one of my teachers today and he encouraged me to go to graduate school. I want to go to Graduate School." I cried. For the past year he had been working full-time and finishing his Chemistry degree at the University. Zach was a toddler and life was full and the thought of him continuing on in school seemed overwhelming. After listening to his story and through my tears, I said, "No. I don't want you to do that." That was that. We hung up and I went back to whatever I was doing. A hundred thoughts were flooding my mind that evening when suddenly, that still small voice broke through, "what if this is what I have for Todd? have you asked Me?" Well no, it couldn't be possible that this was God's will. I wanted to dig my heels in but I knew that it was better to pray and trust then to be stubborn. When Todd got home I said, "Give me two weeks to pray about graduate school. We won't talk about it, we'll just pray." And that is what we did. The following Fall Todd began graduate school. Jesus had invited me into a place of seeking Him, listening and trust. Our lives are filled with these invitations.
There are moments in our life when God invades our time and space and offers us an INVITATION. The invitation causes us to pause and observe what is going on around us and in our hearts. Marriage or divorce. Children. Loss. Job change. Illness. Listening to the lyrics of a song. Reading scripture. Listening to a teaching. These moments usually require a response. They are rarely moments where we remain neutral. God steps into our time and space to speak and draw us to Himself. He invites us into a place of gratitude, healing, restoration, forgiveness and life.
Invitation is offered for us to experience God's presence, great love and mercy towards us. Isn't that what we see Him do throughout the Gospels when He enters the time, space and circumstances of the lives around Him. His Mother at the wedding feast that has run out of wine. The Samaritan women at the well. The blind man in Luke who is shouting for Jesus to come near him. Nicodemus. Mary and Martha in their loss. Thomas in his doubt. Peter in his denial. The thief on the cross.
Over the 29 years of following Jesus I can recall many of these moments where my space and time were interrupted by the Holy Spirit. These moments meant huge shifts in my heart and life. As I've been spending time reflecting on my own experiences of Christ INVITATION, I have been overwhelmed by how present and faithful God has been through this pilgrimage. The healing that came in my life when I married Todd. The loss of our first baby. The birth of Zach. My first trip to China. Bringing Lia home. Moving to KC. Moving to Korea. Returning to Columbia. Invitation has come when sin has been exposed in my heart and I'm invited into the gift of repentance. There have been moments when I've been reading scripture and I'm undone by how living God's word is. Lyrics to a song that stop me dead in my tracks while driving down Broadway and I have to pull over to catch my breath because He showed up, right there in my car and took my breath away with how much He loves me.
How do we respond to INVITATION?
We accept. We say, YES!
Come. Come if you're weary. Come if you're broken. Come if you're thirsty. Come if you're troubled. Come if you're dissatisfied. Come. He will give you rest. He will heal your brokenness. He will give you living water to satisfy your thirst. He will comfort you in your trouble and satisfy the longings of your soul. He is Jesus, the Lover of your Soul, the Friend of sinners
and the Holy, Righteous Son of God.
and the Holy, Righteous Son of God.
