It seems to be a season of invitations at our house, especially for our firstborn. This spring has been the first wave of classmates and friends of his getting married. The invitations have been beautiful, each one different, reflecting the style of the brides and grooms who sent them. It’s nice to get invitations.
We attended the wedding for one of those invitations this past Saturday…it was beautiful. The bride was beautiful, the attendants were beautiful, the mothers of the two getting married were beautiful, the grandmothers were beautiful, the decorations were beautiful, the cake was beautiful, and on and on.
As we participated in this wedding celebration, I realized something, we were participating in the joy of the bride and groom and their families. It was a joyous occasion. Witnessing the young couple pledging their lives to one another brought me joy. Remembering my own wedding day and thinking about my husband who had his arm wrapped around me throughout the ceremony brought me joy. The joy of the event and all of the feelings it conjured up has remained the past couple of days.
I was thankful for the invitation because of the joy I got to share in.
What a perfect picture of the invitations that God sends my way…your way…our ways. God invites us to share many occasions with Him. He invites us to share in His salvation. He invites us to come to Him often in prayer. He invites us to trust His provision. He invites us to join Him as He carries out His kingdom plans in the world around us. He invites us into times of suffering sometimes…not to hurt us, but so that we may have an even deeper understanding of intimacy with Him.
And with all of these invitations come opportunities to enter into His joy. God isn’t a killjoy, He is just the opposite…He is the definition of joy. He created it…He gives it and He sustains it. His joy that He wants to share with us is so worth saying “yes” to His invitations.
pieces and ponderings 
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