Marriage

The Bread of Life

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John 6:35

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

During my junior year at Methodist College (it has since become Methodist University) I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a singing tour of France with my college chorus. We visited the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre, but my most memorable experience was the 7-course dinner we had with the town leaders of our sister city, St. Avold. Thirty plus members and I joined at least that many more guests in a gorgeous banquet hall for a fabulous French feast. Each course was perfectly plated, made with only the freshest ingredients and paired with, of course, an exquisite glass of French wine. Never before, or since, have I consumed such a life giving meal. Although our hosts spoke very little English and only a few of our students could understand conversational French, we found common ground through our palates and our voices as we began singing some of the worlds most beloved choral arrangements together. After 3-4 hours of eating, drinking, singing and laughing our bellies were full- and so were our hearts.

These days, when our family is swayed by one of those pesky cows to “eat more chicken,” our feast only lasts a measly 3-4 minutes! Never once have I gotten up from the table or out of the car with a full belly -and heart. In fact, an hour or so after the quick service food has broken down into nothingness I’m usually hungry again. The same phenomenon applies when I use the drive thru to pick up a little snack from God, instead of sitting down to a 7-course meal to eat and drink Him in.

When I first began following Jesus I lived off fast food experiences:

-church on Sunday

-an occasional skim through a devotional book during the week

-tune in to a Christian radio station during part of my commute home

-watch a tv evangelist once in a while

I rarely cracked open one of the many bibles that sat on my shelf, and prayer only happened when somebody else forced me. I had NO idea what Jesus meant when He said He was the bread of life. That is, until I began making the time to sit to His table, read the word, pray and worship Him for who He is. Only then did I feel full- no longer thirsty or hungry an hour later. The same discipline is still true today. When my calendar is over booked and I hit the ground running, taking only a few minutes with Him before I start my day, I usually feel the pangs of hunger rather quickly:

-a kid cops an attitude with me and I react in anger

-Doug says something that I don’t agree with and the “heated debate” is ON

-a friend or family member sends me a message and I am immediately offended by their words or emoticons

-I call my neighbor an idiot when she almost runs me over during my walk through the neighborhood

-blah, blah, blah….

However, when I take the time to engage in a 7 course meal:

-worship

-thanksgiving

-repentance

-forgiveness

-submission

-bible study

-journaling

with my Creator in the morning I always reap the nutritional benefits of the final course, just as it was served in France: wine, cheese…and fresh fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.

Dream Killer

/ Jodie / 4 Comments

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
 but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

While staying in hotels when traveling for business last year, Doug began noticing items, which he thought would be a great asset to our home. One in particular was the outdoor sofa and chairs that awaited guests after a long days work or travel. Frequently, he would plop down on one, kick up his feet and face time me at the end of the day, showing me the courtyard and all the amenities that created an oasis in the middle of the dormitory of rooms. Around the same time, Doug began recalling one of his landscape dreams; adding a patio off our existing deck in order to make our backyard more comfortable for our family and friends. As he day dreamed….talking about his vision, I listened & occasionally give my 2 cents worth (but in the back of my mind, I thought it probably would never happen…..).

When Doug’s birthday rolled around, God proved me wrong by providing brick pavers at half price through a friend who wanted to get rid of their patio! Another friend helped me and our girls load those heavy suckers onto his trailer and hide them until the day of the surprise. After Doug’s shock and awe we began the planning phase of the dream, but the first, second….fifth drafts didn’t quite work for the topography of our yard. Finally, though, with some new vision and creativity, we completed the project…5 months later than expected. Then came phase 2; furniture. Doug day dreamed about a sofa and chairs… and I listened, giving my 3 cents worth this time (but again, in the back of my mind, I thought it probably would never happen…..) so I suggested that since we had 6 people in our family, and only table seating for 4 we should use our existing chairs and build a table to accommodate 8. Plus, I cautioned him…we had already gone over budget on building his patio- so we shouldn’t spend any more money than was absolutely necessary. He agreed- and a month later the project was finally done (at least, I thought it was…).

About a month ago I noticed Doug bringing our broken Adirondack chairs from the front to the back yard to sit in the evenings. Why? When we had seating for 8 around the patio table and seating for 4 more on the deck?!? “Well,” he said, “they just aren’t comfortable.” I agreed- but didn’t think much more about it. Until last weekend……

We were chatting during lunch (at our kitchen table that seats 10- can you tell that I have a thing for tables?!?) when my mind began racing through all the times I would see Doug melt into the cushy furniture at the hotels he stayed in, looking contented and relaxed, or how he would gush over the outdoor furniture section every time we walked into home improvement stores. Then it hit me like a ton of brick pavers: I had killed his dream!!!

Uggg.

Immediately, I looked across the table at my husband and said something that is completely out of character for me: “let’s go to Lowes!”

“Huh?!?” he muttered.

“I killed your dream- I’m so sorry.” I was just trying to be practical…but I totally ignored what you wanted. I’m soooo sorry. Let’s go to Lowe’s and look at their outdoor sofa and chairs!”

If you could have seen my husbands face you would have looked upon a 4 year old little boy on Christmas morning who got that Red Ryder Bb gun he’d hoped for.

Unfortunately, when we got to Lowe’s, the options were scarce, since it was the end of the summer season. Sadly, I watched as Doug’s exuberance turned to disappointment. “Well,” he said “we’ll just have to keep looking…..” But for some reason, I felt compelled to go down the aisles one more time. Wouldn’t ya know it…there, hidden right in front of me was a box I hadn’t seen before. When Doug flagged an employee down to check the inventory we discovered they had one full set left; a love seat, coffee table, and 2 chairs- with cushions and throw pillows INCLUDED! It was also not a coincidence that it was less expensive than the floor models, we liked the design more than the ones on display, AND it fit our current backyard project budget!

After Doug finished assembling the furniture we placed them on the back deck and plopped down. For the next few hours we sat contented and relaxed as we talked about the lesson we’d learned: we had not honestly communicated all of our expectations to each other. After our “aha” moments & apologies, I realized that even though I had totally screwed up and killed Doug’s dream, God still knew it-  and in His perfect timing, He supplied the space, the money & the exact furniture to fulfill it…..and He included table seating for 8 too!

Our God is so good.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God…

“(Dream killers) look you in the eye and offer a dozen reasons why your dreams won’t work. In fact, the more they talk, the more you begin to hear your own voice echo their thoughts.

Truth is, wherever you find dreamers, you find dream killers. The church is filled with them. They grew up with you, live in your house, and sometimes they….are you. Maybe you’re a victim of a dream killer and regret having listened to them.

At the same time, I realize the life-giving power of dream fanners. They refresh you, and you feel drawn to them like moths to a flame.”

 

Dream Big, but BEWARE of DREAM KILLERS

-Todd Wilson

 

Holes

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Matthew 25:14-30

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

During the first decade of our marriage, we dug holes and hid our Masters money. Although Doug and I had been taught about tithing and good stewardship from our parents, we didn’t heed their wisdom. Like millions of Americans, we lived paycheck to paycheck and paid only the minimum balance on our credit cards, car payments & mortgage. We had no budget and no boundaries. If we wanted it, we bought it. Every year, when the tax return came in, we’d pay down our debt- then reward ourselves by buying something else! We lived in bondage to our lenders for far to long…

Proverbs 22:7

Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.

It wasn’t until Doug felt convicted to give to the church that the Lord began to change our hearts about money (notice, I said “give”- we didn’t believe we could actually afford to tithe, so we dropped $50 or $100 bucks in the plate each month for a few years until we gradually increased to 10% of our net income). Shortly after we began tithing regularly, God convicted us again to give Him 10% of our gross income. After fighting it for a while, we finally realized that the IRS and the State of North Carolina was just another bill we owed, after God received what was due Him. The next thing the Holy Spirit convicted us about (are you seeing a trend here?!?) was our poor stewardship of the remaining 90%. So, we created a plan to retrieve the money out of the holes we’d dug and pay back those lenders! Once Doug set his mind to do this, applying it was not too difficult for him. I, on the other hand really had to wrestle between needs & wants. Countless times I can remember going shopping and filling my cart with items that weren’t necessities…and on the way to check out, I would get a pang in my gutt, stop abruptly, turn around, and return all of the items back to their shelves. This went on for years- but eventually, the demons of greed & debt got frustrated and left!

When I was wiling to submit to God’s purposes for our finances and Doug’s plan for tithing, saving, investing and spending I no longer saw my Master as being harsh. Instead, I began to see His true heart towards me and how He wanted to throw open the windows of heaven and bless me and our family! 7 years later, we now have only 1 hole remaining; our mortgage, and a plan is in place to pay that lender back as soon as possible.

By following His guidelines about money we have miraculously been able to tithe, save, invest and give generously to others. Without being workaholics or striving to constantly make more money, HE has provided our every need and blessed us (spiritually, emotionally & financially) abundantly with many of our wants.

As He continues to entrust His money to us, I pray that we will continue to use it wisely and continue to hear Him say:

‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

You Must Not Covet

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Romans 7:7-25

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[a] 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[c] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

To covet means to wish for something earnestly, to desire inordinately (with no reasonable limits, excessive). To want is not a bad thing, but when it creates a desperate desire in us to do whatever it takes to get what we want, then we cross the line into sin.

I’ve been known to jokingly say “I will not covet, I will not covet…” when visiting other peoples homes who have things on my dream list: a farm, a 5 bedroom house with a basement, huge kitchen, open family room, office, ministry room, screened in porch, a river/bold creek that runs through the yard, etc. etc. etc. In essence, I am trying to convince myself to not cross that line! From past experience, I know that when I see something I want (these are all wants, mind you, not needs) my mind will begin going down that road of “why can’t I have this?” If ignored, a want can quickly turn into desire, then coveting. Left unchecked, coveting will breed an ungrateful heart towards God because I am convinced (by the enemy) that He is failing to give me what I think I need.

Coveting, however is not just exclusive to material things. It can also greatly affect our relationships. Usually, it begins with a subtle thought:

“I wish my husband did all the chores around the house like her husband does.”

“I wish our kids behaved like the Duggars- they’re perfect!”

“I wish our family could be involved in every homeschool co-op and field trip like that family (meaning= I wish we had more $ so we could do everything I want)”

“I wish our church had more music during the worship service, or kids activities, outreaches, healing services, bible studies— fill in the blank, like so and so’s church.”

“I wish our ministry made as much money as that persons so we could do it full time.”

“WAAAA, WAAAA, WAAAAAA!”

1 Timothy 6:6-8

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

Having lived through a season of unemployment with a family of 6 to sustain, I now understand the truth of this verse. All of the wants on my dream list paled in comparison to our needs for that year. Amazingly, God not only provided those (food and clothing)- He also supplied our wants for a home, electricity, water, sewer, gas, homeschool books, phones AND Netflix! Still, Gods miraculous provision during our time in the wilderness unfortunately didn’t make me immune to coveting. Hence, the reason why He highlighted these verses to me this morning. After a night of grumbling and complaining about some of the above mentioned, His word lovingly convicted me of my sin, re-focused my heart towards Him, and brought me back over to His side of the line where I belong.

Luke 12:24

24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

Thank you, Father for loving me and valuing me above all of your creation.

Thank you for giving me a husband who is a man after your own heart.

Thank you for giving me 4 precious children who desire to know you.

Thank you for equipping me to train and teach our children at home- and giving us the opportunity to go on several field trips each year.

Thank you for giving us a home, cars, furniture, electronics, kitchen gadgets…

Thank you for giving us a church family who loves, encourages and rebukes us, when needed.

Thank you for allowing us to share our life story with other married couples- and witness your amazing love radically transform the broken lives of your children.

You are a good God.

You are Jehovah- Jireh.

You are all that I need.

A Great Mystery

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Genesis 2:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31-33 New Living Translation (NLT)

 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”[a] 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

ONE Flesh.

It is indeed a great mystery! After being married for more than 17 years, I am still looking for clues to unlock it. Here are just a few of the ones I’ve uncovered in my search through the scriptures:

Clue #1: The order of creation

Man was created on the 6th day by God, for God. He was designed to be in constant relationship with his Creator. Still, it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so God made him a helper suitable for him; woman. Woman was also designed to be in constant relationship with her Creator, and to, well …. help her husband care for all that God had created! By the order of creation, man was crafted to be the leader of the marriage- and the family, and his wife was to support him in his endeavors. Our order is the same today: God, spouse, children…then everyone else.

Clue #2: Leave & Cleave

When a man leaves his father and mothers home he is establishing a new family in which he (as stated in clue #1) is designed to lead. He is no longer under his mother and fathers authority. He is no longer commanded to obey them- but to honor them. A woman, however, moves her submission from her parents, to her husband. She too is no longer commanded to obey her parents- but to honor them.

If the husband fails to “cut the apron strings” from his parents and lovingly lead his wife, she will not respect him, and oneness will be impossible. Likewise, if a woman doesn’t respect her husband by no longer running and crying to her mama and daddy every time there’s an “issue,” her husband will not feel inclined to sacrificially love her.

Clue #3: No Shame

Genesis 2:25 New Living Translation (NLT)

25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Since no one is without sin, no one is immune to the devastation that shame brings to a relationship. When a man and woman marry, they bring all their hidden sins with them. Left ignored, the shame that will fester over them like a tough scab will steal the couples physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy. Fear of rejection, humiliation, judgement, blame, etc. slowly destroys and kills the bond between them. When past and present sins are exposed to the light of God, He removes the scab of shame and heals the wound completely. Only when a husband and wife are both willing to be treated by the Great Physician can the relationship be restored and the 2 become 1.

I have to be honest…..these 3 clues have been some of the most difficult for me to apply to my life. But when the Holy Spirit uncovered these truths and I finally chose to submit to Him, my life- and my marriage began to be restored and redeemed. And let me tell you, once you are able, through the Lord’s help to solve a piece of the mystery and become ONE with your spouse, you never, ever, ever want to live any other way.

Becoming ONE Flesh with my man has without a doubt been the greatest expression of worship in my life to date.

 

‘I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.  A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.  He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.  It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.  Depend upon it – there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.  It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.’ 

Sherlock Holmes

-A Study in Scarlet

Exposed

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John 3:16-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[a]”

This morning, as I was complaining (out loud) about an “issue” in the house, my husband gently deflated my rising frustration by whispering, “there’s probably a lesson, or blog somewhere in this….”

I quickly responded, “NO- I don’t think so! (silence) “yeah….you’re probably right.”

About a week ago, my keen sense of smell alerted me to something amiss in the house. As I went from room to room, sniffing like a bloodhound, I discovered the location of the stench: our son’s bedroom. As I got down on all 4’s for a closer inspection, I quickly deciphered the odor on the rug: non-human pee.

How had I not seen it before?

How had I not felt it before?

How had I not smelled it before?

It was hidden in plain sight.

I was completely unaware of its existence.

I grabbed the spray bottle of vinegar and a rag and began grumbling and scrubbing it out with a bit of elbow grease.

A few days later, after the hot August sun had been shining through the windows, the light and heat re-ignited the odor. Upon closer inspection (this time I flipped the rug over) I realized that there was not 1, but 2 large pee stains on the rug! The kids and I then drug the 8×8 carpet outside to be steamed cleaned with a deodorizer. We left it on the driveway to dry overnight to ensure that the odor- and stain were completely eradicated.

This morning, to my horror, when I walked back into our son’s room, it still smelled like pee. The urine had seeped all the way through the rug and into the hardwood floors!!!

(it was in this moment when my husband intervened…..and offered me the opportunity for another life lesson)

What in the world could I learn from a pee stained rug?

Plenty.

You see, the enemy uses the same hidden in plain sight tactic with us. When we sin, he is allowed a foothold and his presence stains and stinks up our lives. Even though we may be completely unaware of their existence, those sins can seep down deep into our soul, affecting not only our life, but also those around us.

In order to expose the darkness in our heart, we must:

a)    be in constant relationship with the Lord and regularly ask Him to reveal areas of sin in our lives (often times a stench is a good indicator of a problem!)

b)   have godly friends (I’m not talking about those “friends” that we have superficial “it’s all good” conversations with…I’m talking about iron sharpens iron friends) that will rebuke us, in love, by helping to flip over the rug to reveal the stain underneath.

After those areas are exposed to the light, we can either:

a)    choose to fix them ourselves (like I did when I tried to scrub those deeply embedded stains out of the rug, by hand, with just a rag and some vinegar)

b)   repent, seek God’s forgiveness and be cleansed (the Holy Spirit uses a fabulous steam cleaner with odor eliminating detergent!)

Father,

Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your son to die for me, so that I may spend eternity with you. Thank you for shining your light on the dark places of my soul, so that they can be exposed, eliminated and cleansed.

Amen

Properly Dressed

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Matthew 22:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

Parable of the Great Feast

22 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Yesterday Doug, I, and 4 of our friends had the privilege of spending part of the afternoon getting to know a couple who share a similar calling in the Kingdom. Upon arriving at their home, built in 1827, we took a step back in time as we toured the impeccably decorated rooms and listened to life stories of multiple generations of this family who have lived on the property since the 1700’s. Afterward, we joined some of the extended family for a delicious Sunday feast and shared some of our life stories. Once our bellies were overfull with homemade chicken salad, fresh tomatoes, warm cake and ice cream, we took a walking tour of a small section of the 4,000+ acre farm.

I, unfortunately, was not properly dressed for the occasion (high heels and a long flowing dress isn’t very conducive for walking down long dirt paths in the summertime in the south…. or through outbuildings filled with antique farm equipment and family heirlooms!). As we entered the barn, my husband broke my fall when I twisted my left ankle, after catching my heel on a piece of concrete hiding beneath some hay. My pride was only hurt for a moment, as my friends- old and new- quickly came to my aid.

On with the tour!

After making a loop around the grounds and through the garden, we headed back towards the car & my dear friend offered to retrieve the other pair of heels I packed for the trip (they were croc wedged heels- still not the best shoes for the day, but they would have been better than what I had on!). I stubbornly refused. “No…I’m fine!”

On with the tour!

Several minutes later, as I was high stepping through the long cut grass, leaving a tenant house that the family is restoring, the strap of my right shoe broke off! My chivalrous husband then gave me his size 10 ½ shoes, and we walked back to the main house, hand in hand, down the long gravel path- both of us now, not properly dressed.

At first glance, the King in the Parable of the Great Feast seems to be judgmental and extremely harsh towards the man who arrived at the wedding without the proper clothes. I mean, did it really matter what kind of pants, shirt or shoes he was wearing?

No.

The secret behind this parable that Jesus told was that the guest was not prepared when he received the Kings unexpected invitation- and his heart was not properly dressed.

At first glance, we tend to judge people by looking at their exterior; what they have on, how their hair looks, what they say, the expression on their face, etc. but God looks past the outside, and goes straight to the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

We may fool others when we show up for church every Sunday in our high heels and long flowing dresses, looking like the “perfect Christian”, but we can’t fake the funk with God. He knows when our hearts stubbornly refuse to surrender to Him (“no…I’m fine!!!”).

If you’re reading this, you haven’t received the unexpected wedding invitation yet. But perhaps the King has already sent you an announcement & you’ve refused to RSVP. Maybe He’s even allowed you to twist your ankle, or break the strap on your favorite shoes to remind you that He’s waiting for your reply. Don’t ignore Him any longer. Accept His invitation to make Jesus Christ your Lord and King. Lower your pride, humble yourself before Him and confess: “I’m NOT fine…I need your help!” When you do, the Holy Spirit will help you get properly dressed in:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I look forward to seeing you at the eternal feast, my friend (I’ll be the one with flip flops, a t-shirt and jeans on!)