I received the following note from a mom of a young man whose been in a small group with me for the past 6 years. I've been investing in the same group of guys since they were in sixth grade and now that they are seniors, I'm really get to experience a great return on the investment. This note could be written to anyone who is pouring their lives into others...
The power of invitation is no small thing. The Lord Himself, the quintessential gentleman, issued His first invitation in the garden. At its essence, it was an invitation into relationship – Come into My home, enjoy My Presence, be My guest and enjoy anything, simply everything in My garden…except that one tree. He didn’t put that tree there to tempt us, but to honor us with the “choice” to except or reject His kind invitation. Of course, we blew it. We traded a relationship of love, trust and dependency for the desire to know, control and be independent.
But He gave us a second invitation. Not because we deserve it, but because He loves us and delights in us and still desires relationship. He requested the honor of our presence in His home again, “Behold I stand at the door and knock…If anyone hears My Voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.” This may seem an odd introduction to my letter but it is crucial to the plot. I have now not only seen an “invitation” extended and received from you to my son three times in the last few months, but the breadth and depth of the” power of invitation” has been so profound, I wanted to share this with you.
All three of my kids are on the shy side of life; not your movers and shakers, not your life-of-the-party type or initiators or extroverts but each possesses their own unique gifts. You have loved my son well over the last six years and I am grateful for that but what I seen in the last few months is the power of invitation that “loves us to life”. I pray everyday that God would love my kids to life internally and externally: internally that they know that they know in their innermost being that they are loved and just as important, that externally that God would love them to life through His people. I believe you have been one of His instruments to love my son to life over the past several years and most recently through this power of invitation.
The first invitation came this summer when you asked him to consider going on the Watermark Amazon trip. Of course he knew about the trip and that is the point. By you coming up to him and personally say “Hey, they could use somebody like you”, you loved him to life.” You gave him a vote of confidence that called him out of the shadows of his insecurity and into the light of both God’s love and your love for him. Think about how many bible studies, programs or trips you hear about and the power or draw it has when someone personally comes up to you and says, “I would love for you to think about coming.”
The second invitation occurred when you asked him to talk at your new leaders meeting and then you wrote such an encouraging thank you note (I saw it on the couch). Once again, you used your gift as an extrovert leader with a heart for kids to unleash my son's gifts of discernment, wisdom, and quiet leadership. Too often I have seen leaders in ministry recruit the extroverts, clowns and studs even though the quiet leaders have every bit as much to offer. Sadly, all too often, the Darwinian influence (promotion of the strongest) is just as prevalent in our Christian arenas as in the world.
The third invitation was just last week when you asked him to speak at your leader’s meeting. He would just about do anything for you. What you have done for my son is not only praise worthy but something I hope you are teaching and sharing with others. Anyone can identify an extrovert from an introvert or an initiator from a responder but a leader in the world’s eye from a leader in God’s eye is quite another thing. My life verse for my son is “that he would continue to “increase in wisdom and stature and find favor before God and man.” You are part of the answer to that prayer. I believe you have seen the wit and wisdom of my son and I am so grateful for you.
Thanks for inviting him to step out of the workshop and into the showcase. You are loving him to life and we are cheering both of you on. By the way, God extends this power of invitation daily on a two-sided coin: one that says “Come…Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden” and the other side that says “Go…Go Make disciples of men.” This is very much what I see you doing for our youth. You issue the power of invitation to “come” and you are truly making disciples that can then “go”… and issue the same power of invitation to others.
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