Yesterday was one of those days that don’t always come as often as I would like. As I was sitting in a booth sharing soup with one of my friends listening to and encouraging her, I had the most sure sense that I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing in that moment.
I felt alive…I felt God awake in me, pushing me forward, providing me with words, wisdom, clarity and compassion. Word by word, breath by breath, God inside me spilling out.
Now if you have experienced this before you know exactly what I’m talking about. Perhaps it is every time you step on stage to speak or while you are helping set up or tear down for the next activity or when you see your spare bedroom filled with company. After being in a moment like this all you can feel is the greatest sense of gratitude…. Thank you God for making me feel so alive. Thank you for letting me join you in the beautiful things you are doing.
Here is a story that I love. (We learned about this in our latest series at church therefore I must attribute the wisdom to them, not me, woo Mars Hill.) Matthew 25 tells the parable of the “Ten Virgins.” Five were foolish and five were wise. Five virgins awaited the arrival of their bridegroom with their lamps full of oil, the other five did not prepare with extra oil for their lamps.
If you have ever been engaged you know fully well that you never forget that your wedding day is coming. You spend day after day preparing and awaiting one of the most joyous days of your life. After all, what could be more important?
The five virgins, who had their lamps full of oil, even after a long wait, were prepared when their bridegroom suddenly came at midnight. They got up, trimmed their lamps and went into the wedding banquet and the doors were shut. The five foolish virgins were not ready and missed….yes missed the most important day of their lives. The ceremony did not stop. Those who sat inside the doors continued with the celebration as planned.
This parable is a reminder of the invitation we have all received. And the question is, what will you do with your invitation? Will you get caught up in unimportant matters and forget that soon we are to be wedded to our bridegroom? Or will you accept your invitation with honor and be a part of the right kind of business?
Another way of putting it… We all are looking to different places for meaning. What we may have forgotten is that our whole purpose and meaning is wrapped up in the story of the Bible.
Here is what the story is about…God created the world, man sinned and the world became fallen, God is redeeming the world, join him… because one day he will return and it will be the biggest celebration of your life.
The Bible is your story, your story, your story. Look no further. To what extent will you join God in his Unstoppable progress of redemption? It is happening all the time, perhaps inside you or the person next to you.
When you are sitting in that booth, hosting a guest, helping set up, leading a small group…you are attending. And what could be more important? What could possibly make you feel more alive?
