Remember in grade school how exciting it was to get an invitation to a party? Remember how it felt if you DIDN'T get the invitation? Just me? Okay, I'll roll with it.
I thought as an adult, it would be different. It's not. I turn right back into that little girl when people are talking about the fun party they attended. That I wasn't invited to. And my heart hurts. Because, I thought I was friends with this person. I thought, if we weren't friends, we were on our way there. And...I'm 6.
As children, we understand the not being invited. But it's easier to get diverted from the knowing. As an adult, it's much harder. You realize that you were not, in fact, invited. I wonder if men struggle like this? They seem to go through life much easier. A slap on the back and a "See ya". Wish I could do that. Instead, I'm stuck here...in uninvited land.
I did a bible study by Lysa TerKeurst called "Uninvited". Boy, did I need it at the exact moment it came into my life! Through that study, I came to realize that wherever I was, at any given moment, I was invited by God to be there. That no matter what other invitations I DIDN'T get, I was invited by Him to be where I was. That's pretty strong. Sadly, I'm human....prone to human feelings and human hurts....and the pain that comes with the "un"invitation.
I'm trying. I'm trying to be a grown up. I'm trying to see the people that might be on the fringes of my own circle. *I have one; it's small* I don't want anyone to feel like they're not the "right" type of person, like they're not important, like they aren't worthy. I've felt (and sometimes, feel) that way. Everyone wants an invitation. And in our human nature, we want it from peers.
As a believer, I believe in the body of Christ. I believe that we need to rally around, draw strength from and support one another. I believe we should love (this is SO HARD for me!) others, even if we don't think they're lovable. AND...we should extend an invite. Into our homes, our hearts and lives. I've gotten away from that. I've been the not inviter.
You're invited. Come have dinner, let's chat a while. Let's have coffee and cry a bit. Let's pray together. And let's remember, that no matter what you're NOT invited to, the Lord has invited you to be right where you are....no matter where you are.
