Invitation. The word has a great feeling to it. It makes me think of parties and fun and doing something out of the norm. It brings with it an inherent sense of inclusion too. As if I made the list. I’m in. I have been invited into something good. Obviously, not all invitations are good or wanted, like getting invited to one of those in-home sales parties in which you have zero interest. Overall though, getting an invitation gives you validation. Someone sees something in you that they value and want you to be a part of what they are doing.

How often do we look at invitations as an obligation though? We turn even the simple ones into a Pampered Chef party where we dread the first half and feel bad the second half because we just want to figure out how to spend the least amount of money and get out of there without insulting the host. Maybe the metaphor is a little stretched, but does any of this sound familiar?

The Smith’s invited us over for dinner. That’s great! I’ve always wanted to get to know them better. But we need to bring something. A salad? A dessert? Flowers? Wait, can we bring the kids, or do I need a babysitter? I wonder how I should dress. Is it a fancy dinner party or just a causal hang out? I wonder who else will be there. I hope so-and-so isn’t going, that would be weird. What if it is just us and the Smith’s? We don’t know each other that well. What will we talk about?

Maybe some of that rings true for you and maybe it doesn’t but stay with me for a minute either way. What starts out as a great thing quickly turned into an obligation and confused, internal monologue that honestly sounds like something to avoid instead of something to pursue. It sounds hard. Not worth the effort. Thanks, but no thanks.

If I’m honest this is me. I’ll always want to say yes to hanging out with people, but I often overanalyze it after I do. My fault is burdening myself with trying to meet every expectation of someone without them even speaking it. I want them to think the best of me, and I certainly don’t want to miss the mark. i.e. if I bring this cheese will I look cheap? Pretentious? Do they even eat cheese? Essentially, what I do is make myself think I have to earn the invitation again once I’m there. Prove that the spot they used on me was worth it, and then earn the next invitation before I leave. It may be crazy when you read it here, but most of us do it in one way or another.

So, here’s the deal. Here’s where the crazy ultimately lies. Most people that invite us into their lives don’t judge the people they want to spend time with that way. If your friends do, then find new friends.

If you have been invited, then you have permission to be you.

Our friends aren’t the only ones we do it with though. We do it so much with Jesus. (I’m speaking from way too much experience here.) The entire Bible is pretty much one big invitation. A story that starts with God, His creation, and His intense desire to live as one with it. Throughout the whole book, it is a constant struggle to reconcile the Fall that separated that oneness in a hope and plan to bring an end to the separation. To make us one with God again. That’s why the invitation story of Jesus is so great. He invited you. He knows you. He created you! There is nothing you can do to make Him change His mind about you. He is crazy about you, and He just wants to be with you. Hang out. Have dinner. Catch a show. Walk, talk, and love with you. You have 100% complete permission to be you with Jesus, because He knows it all. And He invited you anyway. So just be you.

Some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, but…(insert any comment about yourself here).” No buts. You don’t have to clean yourself up before going to Jesus’ house for dinner. You can’t get clean enough anyway. He’s perfect, we’re not. End of story. He finished that story on the cross. Check it out. He even said, “It is finished.” So, what if we stopped trying to clean ourselves with our dirty rags and start living like it was actually finished that day.

Be you. Even if there is stuff about you that you don’t like. He probably doesn’t like it either, but He still loves you. Still wants to be with you. You can work on that stuff down the road together. Don’t put off a great day with Him today for a possible better tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better no matter what if you already spent today with Him, and not because you made some change today without Him. It doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t work without Him.

Lord Jesus, come. Please. You invited me to let you into my life. You invited ME! You love me that much. Even with all the garbage in my life, you still invited me. Thank you for that. Help me to take advantage of the gift of today with You, so that as we walk through tomorrow together, it will be even better. Better because it will be what you desire for my life and not my messed up earthly ways. May your Kingdom come, and Your will be done in my life, today. In Jesus’ Name – Amen.