I bopped the door shut with my hip, balancing a small tower of casserole, pie, berries, and a card as I looked up at the large, stylish home in front of me. A bit of rust fell from the side of my old van, and I looked around to make sure no one had seen.
The front porch was grand and lavishly decorated. I swallowed hard, knocked on the door, and forced a bright, confident smile. The meal train recipient opened the door and welcomed me into her home. She was stunning, and even more striking in her boutique clothing. I self-consciously bumbled my way through pleasantries and re-heating instructions as we passed through her gorgeous and perfectly ordered home.
She was kind and grateful, but with every passing moment I felt increasingly shabby and dull. When the meal drop-off was complete, I sat in silence in the safety of my van. The Lord and I looked at my insecurities and once again there was the invitation.
“Come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). Turn away from the unrealistic standards by which you measure your life, and come and follow Me. Be thankful for the circumstances of your life, grand or humble, and come and follow Me.
He said it first to the man in today’s Gospel. Leave behind your attachments, your desire for wealth and prestige. Sell and give away the things that are tying you down and boxing you in, and come and follow Me.
He extends the same invitation to all of us today. Turn away from the false idols of wealth, popularity, success, and beauty and follow Him. Can you accept His invitation in your heart today?
LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS
A NEW WORKSHOP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
