I've been thinking that I'd like to start a series of writings about things that I've learned in life and pass them on to my children. I thought it might also benefit others as well, so I decided to post them on my blog.
About Accepting Invitations
This morning I read Matthew 22:1-14 in my daily bible reading.
This parable that Jesus taught is about a king who prepared a wedding banquet. Take a few minutes to read it and then return here.
I learned a long while ago (I believe from a wise parent who had adult children) that they make an attempt to always say "yes" to invitations from their adult children: to baby-sit their grandchildren, to come for a visit, or to help with something. Why? because if you say "no" too many times, then eventually people will feel you are not interested and will no longer extend the invitation.
In this parable, Jesus made the point about the Kingdom of God. God invites people to come to his banquet, but some are just busy. Look at verse five. They were busy with their field and their business. They saw the invitation as an interruption, but if they thought about it, the interruption was more important than their plans.
We need to be very careful to accept God's invitation to his banquet. I've accepted the invitation to his Eternal Kingdom Banquet (I've accepted Christ as my savior). And, also, I know that I need to learn to accept his daily invitations to his "kingdom banquets" that are right in front of me each day.
By the way, on a related note, verses 11 through 14 confused me about the wedding clothes until I read the commentary. Accepting the wedding clothes is also an invitation to receive a gift. This part of the story is symbolic of how Jesus provides us with the gift of righteousness that we also must accept.
I hope that you'll accept God's invitation to real life that has been extended to us through Christ Jesus.
And, I hope that you'll also think about accepting the invitations that people make to you. If you can't accept an invitation, then take the time right then and there to set up a time when you can make it work rather than letting it drift off into nothingness.
One rule that I try to use when deciding between two competing events that I can attend is to consider how often they occur. For example, when we have invitations to a 50th birthday and an invitation to dinner with friends on the same day, I will take the 50th birthday invitation because it only occurs once in a lifetime for that person when the dinner invitation could be postponed to another date.
People invite you because they need you and/or care for you. Life's interruptions are where real life happens. Try to say "Yes" (or at least set up a firm postponed time so that it's a delayed "yes").
Please comment with your thoughts on this subject.
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