You’re Invited!

Have you ever had that moment when you’re scrolling through social media and see these stories of the impossible becoming possible? Or a life saved because someone was in the right place at the right time? Or someone choosing to speak up and say something that went against the cultural grain?

What about when it’s not a virtual story, but one of your friends comes back from overseas and shares these crazy stories of miracles and all kinds of healing? Or a speaker at a conference shares the story about the person they sat next to on the plane and the amazing conversation they had that led to breakthrough?

It’s easy to read those stories or hear about them and brush them off as just that – another story. Thinking, that’s nice for them, but that could never happen in my life.  The excuses begin to chug along, powering the train of thought:

I don’t have that kind of faith.

Well, they’re super outgoing and I am not.

Who am I? God can’t use me like that.

It’s too scary.

I don’t have that gift.

I’m just so busy all the time!

These excuses (because that’s exactly what they are) are fueled by lies about worth or fueled by pride – either you’re calling God out, claiming there’s something wrong with how He made you OR that you know exactly where you fit in the universe and there can’t be anything else outside your realm of understanding because you have it all figured out…right?

There’s often this disconnect between the theological and the practical, between what the Word says and then what that actually looks like in your life today. So when Jesus tells us to go make disciples of all nations (Great Commission) or when Peter says to add to your faith goodness, knowledge, holiness (2 Peter 1:5-7) or when Paul talks about giving it all up for the sake of the Gospel, and walking in the way of love throughout the New Testament…what does that look like? What does that mean?

As Christians, we know the Gospel. We know we are to share the Gospel – it infiltrates every area of our lives, so how can we not! The Gospel is the good news about all that Jesus has done for us through the cross and the new life He brings not only to our individual lives, but the new life He offers to all people and the new life He is restoring to this earth, to be fully completed on the day He returns.

Let’s talk about news. When you have news you want to share, (new job, engagement, pregnancy, house, etc) it gets out. You post a picture and a beautiful artsy Insta post and tell the whole world about it – you want to proclaim it! You want people to know of this good new thing happening in your life, to bring them in and celebrate with you! (I know I do it.)

So let’s apply that same idea to our daily lives. There’s no separation between ministry and non-ministry time – that cannot be a thing – there’s no on/off switch for Christianity. We are meant to proclaim this Good News of Jesus with every action, every word, every breath. Now, that’s a beautiful idea…but what does this look like?

Let me share with you a moment from my life that helps bring this point home.

I was on a plane (classic) Friday night of Memorial Day weekend – the long work week FINALLY over and on my way to enjoy the holiday weekend with one of my friends. There I was in the middle seat, between two women I had never met before. My earbuds were already in place, the melodies of country music blocking out noise around me.  Work had been awful and hectic and security had been stressful. I was ready to vege out and didn’t want to talk to anyone.

The woman on my left, Jackie, started talking to the flight attendant asking to change seats if possible so she could have a window seat. The attendant just smiled and motioned to the seats costing an extra $150 for an inch of extra leg room. Jackie nudged me and motioned to the woman on my right, Lauren, and said, “Well sir, I know of three beautiful ladies who would love to take those seats for you for free, am I right ladies?” as she turned to look at both of us. I took out one earbud and laughed in agreement.

The plane door closed and we were stuck where we were. I was about to put my earbud back in when Jackie asked me a question. I couldn’t even tell you exactly what it was, but she did. We chatted and then Lauren joined in. Before I knew it, Lauren and I both had our earbuds out and put away.

We started talking and laughing about everything from creepy encounters on a Megabus to guessing each other’s occupations to children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. Somewhere our conversation naturally took a deeper dive and before I knew it, 57-year-old Jackie was pouring out her heart about her past struggles with addiction. “If anyone doubts there is a God or that miracles still happen, they need only look at me and my life. I am the miracle. It is by the grace of God my children have turned out the way they have.” Tears filled her eyes as she talked about grace and the beauty she sees in all women and how she just feels so encouraged to see strong, independent young women like me and Lauren. I couldn’t stop my own eyes from misting over – I couldn’t look away from the joy in her eyes as her mouth gave words to her story.

Then Lauren began to share about her past struggles with weight and being in a ten year relationship with a man who made her feel worthless and like she would never be enough. When she finally broke it off, the weight came off – it was like the worthlessness had been affecting her physically and once that burden was lifted and she began to see herself for who she really was, it was gone. She opened up about her ambitions and her cute little nephew.

I barely said a word as these women shared their stories. I just listened. Eventually they asked more about my life and before I knew it, the deepest parts of what I struggled with over the past two years came out. I didn’t sugar coat a thing for them. I shared about my parents’ divorce and how because I felt I wasn’t worthy enough to be pursued by my own dad, I believed I wasn’t worth anyone’s pursuit – men, friends, etc. I shared a little about the year I spent traveling but it all came back to God’s work on my heart and the next thing I knew, in that little row of a Delta plane, I was speaking out truth about worth and I looked at each of them intently and asked, “Do you know how loved you are by God? Because I can see it! He loves you so much!” I was overwhelmed with the Father’s love for them in that moment and I know they felt it too – the tears started coming and they couldn’t look away.

That sparked a conversation about worth, beauty, comparison, and encouraging and uplifting other women.

Back at the start of our conversation, just ten minutes in, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “You need to pray for them. Ask if you can pray for them.” We had been talking since before take-off and now we had landed and I was running out of time. It wasn’t this big anxious thing, I knew God had asked me to do it, so I just went with it, not sure what kind of response I would get, “Can I pray for you ladies? I really just want to pray for you.”

Jackie looked at me and touched her hand to her chest and said, “My goodness sweetie, I am truly touched, yes of course!” I looked over at Lauren and she had the biggest smile on her face, “Yes, please!” Jackie grabbed my hand without hesitation and I reached for Lauren’s. We formed a circle in Row 20 and while the rest of the plane was silent, waiting to exit the plane, I spoke out, thanking God for His goodness and for each of the women He placed next to me, blessings over them and their families, physical healing for Jackie, and that Papa would continue to reveal more and more to them about the depth of the love He has for them.

When I finished, the lady across the aisle, who we thought had been sleeping the whole time, said with genuine sincerity, “I truly enjoyed listening to your conversation today.”

We walked out of the gate together and said our goodbyes. That was it.

The point of the story is this: God always has an invitation for us to join Him in what He is doing every day. He invites us to be a part of the story He is writing – not just in big life-altering moments, but in the daily, mundane moments. You never know when He is going to use a smile or a simple hello to shift something.

Now I’m a girl with a cool plane story, but that is not the point at all! I have a cool plane story because my GOD is SO GOOD. He is so good that even when I was ready to shut out the world He still offered me that invite to join Him in what he was doing in row 20. I didn’t even say anything to start the conversation – Jackie is the one who asked me a question! All I did was listen.

That’s the simple, practical, not-so-scary take away for us all.

Just listen.

These women both just wanted to be heard. People want so much to connect and be known. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to just hear about their lives and be that listening, loving ear. I thank Papa that He opened up an opportunity to speak out truth on a plane to Kansas! God is so big and He is sovereign over all – I think of Job and God’s response to Job’s  outcries (chapters 38-41) and Psalm 144 how it describes His mighty voice of thunder and how He controls the snow, the waters, the lightning. God is so majestic and wondrous and has such a big picture we can’t even see or begin to understand – and yet He allows us to join in with Him and be a part of it. Not allows, but INVITES!  He’s that good. He loves you that much.

Even when I had other plans on the plane, He whispered to me, inviting me into a piece of what He was doing that night.

I didn’t even have to speak – Jackie is the one who broke the silence! I just had to choose to respond and choose if I would listen.

So I did.

And it was the best plane ride I’ve ever had.

I am convinced God has this open invitation to us every single day of our lives to join Him in spreading His Gospel and His love – are you going to accept?

It doesn’t always look like a crazy story from Acts or the drama of what Job suffered. We can’t only look for big things to take part in. Remember when Jesus became a servant and washed the disciples’ feet? God is in every moment of life – even in the mundane of daily routine.

You’re invited to be a part of the beautiful, epic work of God EVERY DAY!

What’s going to be your answer?

It’s not always as hard, earth-shattering, or terrifying as you might think.

Sometimes, all you have to do is listen.