Don’t forget to invite God!

‘Tis the season to invite others and be invited to holiday parties, to gatherings of family and friends, lunches, dinners and the like. But have you remembered to invite God to the party? And if you’re not hosting, will you at least invite Him to come along? I recently was reminded in a Bible study on the Book of Revelation (as I’ve heard before and then forgotten as is in my human nature!) that I need to invite God to be part of all I do…in my daily life, thanking Him for the food I eat, asking for help in relationships, to bless the work I do, to give me grace and strength, to be by my side. And the holidays are no exception, although I tend to get caught up, like we all do, as Dr. Seuss would say in his wonderful book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “with (their) presents, the ribbons, the wrappings! the tags and the tinsel, the trimmings, the trappings!…” and forget what this holiday season is really about…love, peace, joy, family, friends, our relationships with people…and with our God Who came to us as the baby Jesus, to save, lead and love us. So don’t forget to invite Him to accompany you to that next holiday gathering (which may be delightful, or may be difficult) to help you have a better attitude, to be less self-centered and to think more of others, or to be by your side so that your heart may be filled with gratitude, peace, love and joy. Because as the Grinch discovered, “maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store…maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!” It really is all about God. And of course, He is always awaiting our invitation:  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me…” (Rev. 3:20) Lord, help us to remember to invite you to be by our sides and dwell in our hearts…when we work, when we play, when we gather with people whom we love and even those who are hard for us to love.