I have wanted to lose weight and get in shape for at least the past three years. I’ve tried counting calories, trudging the treadmill, and dancing with a DVD…..all without results. Nope, not a pound thinner. Then, a couple of weeks ago, a friend handed me a card and invited me to join her at the gym. It was an invitation that is changing my life.
Her invitation has empowered me toward my goal—I’ve already lost a few pounds and feel more toned. If she hadn’t invited me, I’d still be plodding around my same mountain of frustration. But I’m not, I’m changing. And it wasn’t just about my getting into shape. It was an invitation to relationship—to join her at the gym and journey together in our quest for fitness.
Her action made me think about how a personal invitation can literally change a person’s life. We can all feel “stuck” in some way—whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. I was stuck regarding my fitness and couldn’t find how to get out of my rut, until I got an invitation that would give me the tools needed for change. In fact, as I think of it, every major change in my life has come through an invitation: an invitation to a Bible Study where I received Jesus, to a Home Group where I encountered the person of the Holy Spirit, to a conference where I experienced worship for the first time, to marriage with my wonderful husband, and the list goes on.
We were created in the image of God who extends the greatest invitation of all—relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus. And for most of us, that invitation came via somebody who told us about that divine invitation!
So here’s my thought in all this: There are many who we meet every day who are trudging around some mountain in life and are just waiting for someone—like you and me—to extend a personal invitation to join us on our journey into greater fitness in spirit, soul, and body. There are hearts that are longing for someone to invite them to get out of their rut and into a greater place of freedom. Today, extend an invitation of relationship to someone. It may just be the invitation that changes their life.
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’….” Rev. 22:17
J Nicole – Being parented by God
