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The Invitation { Day 281 }





“But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see:...the mystery of His diving being.”
Romans 1:19-20 MSG


FALL!  It is my MOST favorite season.  I absolutely love everything about FALL!  The weather is cooler, I get to wear boots again, pumpkin everything comes out, the smells—from the air to the candles, and then of course the COLORS.  This photographer (or whatever I am) loves the beauty of this season through my lens.  God is THE BEST artist around.  He knows how to stop traffic for a blazing sunset and how to wake us up to the beauty of a sunrise.  There is nothing more beautiful to me than His work in the fall.
 


I think about how much I love to see it here and this isn’t even our forever home.  I can only imagine just how much more beautiful it will be in Heaven.  

His love for us burns so strong that we can see His beauty inviting us in daily through His creation.  We just need to slow down to see.  



I’ve missed it…I’ve been so busy that I just rush right past all the beauty.  Rushed right past the invitations.  Rushed right past Him.  And then I wonder why I’m so lost sometimes.  I can be so “busy” with errands, laundry, volunteering, kids fighting and whining, meals, dishes…that I miss Him in the middle of it all. Then all of a sudden I stop right in my tracks to the fire in the sky of a sunset.  His arms stretched out saying, “STOP and look!  See ME in it all! See Me in the to-do list. See Me in the meals broken for you. See Me in the eyes of your children. See Me in the gifts.”


“Stop sleeping through this life and keep your eyes on Me.”



The invitations never stop coming because Jesus is wherever we are and He wants us to pay attention. We can choose to accept the invitation daily or we can ignore it and leave it unopened - pushing through on our own.  We can push and push and push with our own strength…but eventually we will be so tired that we will wonder why we even do anything.

“Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, like His invitations to all the disciples, involves a lot more than joining the caravan; Jesus’ invitation is for sinners to change their ways of life. Jesus makes it clear, despite the criticisms of some observers, that this invitation is indeed open to all—especially to the sinners who need it most. Jesus grants to those who choose Him not just companionship and forgiveness but the ability to truly receive a new identity and live a new life.”
 ~Mark 2:15 (voice)
 

Jesus is inviting us into this day…this moment…with Him.  And we are given only so many breaths – God wants to fill me (you) with grace and I need to open the curtains of my eyes and see His invitation.  Slow down and see this moment as the gift that it is.


We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. ~Romans 8:28 (voice)

Fall is beautiful because of the amazing colors we see.  The leaves change colors because they are dying.  There is beauty in change.  When we die to our old ways…and accept His invitation to come to Him – there’s beauty in that.  

The beauty is in the change.



The invitation is being handed to you….will you take it?  Will you slow down and accept the gift of His invitation? Will you slow down and see the message among the mess? Open the invitation, choose to see Him, and give thanks.


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