Missed Invitation

It wasn’t until the end of the day that I realized I had missed attending the graduation party for a high-school senior from our church. Earlier in the day, Bill had even asked if we could go someplace. We went for a drive in the country and enjoyed it. Upon returning home, Paul told me about the graduation events he’d attended. That was when it clicked. I had an invitation, and I had missed the party. I had not put it on my calendar, but had only shoved the postal card invite behind other mail on my desk. It would have been a better use of our Saturday afternoon time, but no. Sending a card of congratulations became my only recourse.

This got me to thinking about other missed opportunities. At Asbury College I forgot to purchase a ticket for a play, The Diary of Anne Frank, put on by drama students. This book is a favorite, so I wanted to see the play. I even walked over to the theater on campus, but it was only to appease myself, eventually to make me feel bad about missing out because of my neglect.

Another story: I was getting ready for an event to start soon when a door-to-door salesman came to our house. Taking time to listen for a while, I finally told him I had to leave for a meeting. After he left, I felt guilty. Not because of putting off his sales pitch, but because I did not use our time together to give a witness about what mattered most to me. I was going to a meeting related to my spiritual growth, and yet I had missed out on an opportunity to talk about Jesus.

The invitation that no one should miss is the call of Christ to follow Him. His invitation is given to all. Listen as I wrap that invitation in the words of Scripture. Jesus did “not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Lately I’m been thinking of and praying for loved ones and friends who need to respond to the call to follow Jesus. And I don’t want to miss out on extending that invitation.