Invitation

   

  One of the takeaways I got from Pastor Fred’s sermon this weekend is that how much of life especially our Christian faith is an invitation to a journey. The Apostle Paul put it this way in I Corinthians 11:1 of of follow follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. Paul is pointing to Christ as the example we should live up to and not what he does because he is being transformed by Christ. Paul is inviting others to join him as he makes it a priority to live a transformed life. So what does this look like. 

  The first one is that we can not do it alone. We are not designed to live on an island by ourselves or to keep people at arms length. I think this is one of the reasons we struggle with anxiety and depression because we keep people at arms length for various reasons. What would it be like if we did life with each other. This could mean sharing a meal together, being honest about our victories and our struggles. When we journey with people, the sole focus should not be what I can get out of it, but how can I walk with people during the highs and lows. It also means that we do not think we are better than others but we are all in need of each other and Gods grace. How this works for me is that I meet with a group of guys on Monday mornings to talk and to share life with each other.  Who are those people in your life?

  Another small aspect to this journey process is that we actually grow up and mature. We all grow and mature at different paces but are we doing it? When we grow and mature, we can share what we have learned with other people and we can be that example. Most if not all of us have had a mentor in our lives that not only spoke truth, but gave it to us when it was something difficult or hard to hear. We need that mentor in our lives along with being able to mentor someone. Who are these people in your life?

  My final observation comes in a song. The Christian artist Shawn Groves has a song called Should I Tell Them and the song contemplates of should the singer tell the world what Christ has done for them even though he is afraid.  Not only is the answer yes, but I think the world is begging us to tell them and to give them not only a different option, but true hope because everything else they have done or tried has failed miserably. When we tell or even invite them, we can’t have an attitude that we are better than them or that we have all of the answers. Journeying together means that we don’t have all the answers but are committed to finding them out. Journeying together means that it’s a commitment to grow even if we gave to pus or drag each other to do so. When we do this, life will get messy and there will be difficulties. Are we willing to experience growth even when it gets hard? Human nature tells us no because we would rather be comfortable even though we may be living in a mud pit. This is where accountability and Gods grace comes in. Gods race is what makes the change possible and when we do it with others it makes it easier. So who are those people that God is calling you to invite and to journey with?

Grace and Peace

Tom Boustead