Invited

Have you had a day, week, or a season where you feel like your best is not good enough?  You are so overwhelmed that getting out of bed becomes a chore?  All you want to do is shut down or zone out?  You feel like you are failing at life?  Honestly, this is my season of life right now.  I feel like it has been going on for the entire year.  I had a couple weeks of vacation to escape reality, but there life awaited me.  Not even Colorado or the French Alps could make this season go away.

Maybe you are like me; a plate full of responsibilities.  My day is scheduled from the moment I wake up at 4:30 am {which no one should be awake at this time} and until I finally get to crash in bed around 11 pm.  My days are full of work, graduate school {including the hours of homework} and an internship.  It has been so chaotic that I have not worked out for a month! {Working out is my stress relief and a passion of mine.}  I get to the end of the day, so exhausted that I could cry, and I hear Jesus’ sweet invite to me, but I have nothing left to give.  So I go to bed to repeat the chaotic, circular, and destructive cycle.

Last night, after sleeping for almost four hours, God decided it was time for me to wake up.  He has a sense of humor, although I was not laughing.  It was 12:50 am!  I heard Him inviting me, as He has every day.  “Sunshine, come and meet Me in our special place.” I thought about ignoring Him, as I have so many times before, however last night was different. 

“My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord I am coming!’” Psalm 27:8

For as long as I can remember, I would meet with Christ in our special place that I created in my mind.  We met in a field, painted with yellow and purple wildflowers.  We sat next to a brook, whose gentle cascading water beckoned me to stay longer.  It was here that I spoke to my Savior finding rest, peace, and healing.

My first trip to Colorado in 2015, I summited my first three14ers. {14ers are mountains that are above 14,000 feet.}  We were at the beautiful Kite Lake Trailhead.  During the decent I was having a very honest conversation with Christ, almost in tears.  I found a large boulder next to a large sheet of snow melting, and I sat.  It was there that I released my control and I told Christ that He could have it.  That night I went to our special place to meet Him.  It was at that moment that He asked me, “Sunshine, do you see that?”   I did!  The very place that I physically sat at early in the day, was the exact place I had been meeting my Jesus for years.  Our place was no longer in my mind; it truly existed!

Fast forward to last night.  My sweet Jesus invited me to our place and this time I went.  The Creator of the Universe invited me, the woman who has been too busy for Him, to spend time with Him.  The Creator of the Universe saw me and says “Come to Me.”  He is inviting me and you, to lay down the chaos, the precision schedules, the messy homes, the expectations, and meet with Him.

He invites us to “Come and rest. Come and listen. Come and learn.”

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

He invites us to “Come and be renewed. Come and be guided.”

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  

Psalms 23

He invites us to “Come and walk in freedom.”

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  John 8:36

He invites us!  This invitation is free, come as you are, no pretenses, and it is an open invitation.  He is waiting for us to respond “Lord I am coming!”  This invite refreshes my weary, worn out spirit.  This invite aligns my heart with His and gives me the strength that I need for that day.  This invite gives me a refuge for healing and refueling.  My life is only going to get crazier as I approach graduation and the certification process in the spring, but this does not mean that I must continue to live feeling like I am failing life.  I have a choice to make, each and every day – will I accept Christ’s invite or will I reject His invite or will I tell Him that it depends if I have anything left to give?

I pray that every day I will chose the invite.  

Abandoned

Granada, Nicaragua is a beautiful colonial Spanish town whose streets are lined with brightly painted walls and doors that invite you to relax in the flowering courtyards, homes, and unexpected surprises. Every time I went to Granada, I was taken back by the beauty of the doors, by the intrigue they aroused in me, and by their unknown stories and secrets.

A few of these doors were Pristine, with their elegant craftsmanship, smooth surface and beautifully stained wood. The rest fell into two categories; Weathered and Abandoned. Weathered was beautifully scarred by her stories. She possessed a wonderment that made me want to study her, to know the life she has lived, and the stories she guards.

Yet, these were not the doors that captured my attention. Instead, I fell in love with Abandoned, whose wood was splintered from top to bottom exposing her many layers of color. She protected herself with a rusty iron, ornate gate that once was her glory. Abandon’s missing pieces whispered of what once was. Locks that once protected her were rusted and exposed her vulnerability. The beauty of Abandon made me stop and study her every splinter. As I tried to fall asleep, the last night in Granada, Abandoned captured my attention. God taught me that these doors were like my heart.



Pristine appeared powerful and self-sufficient. She was beautiful, yet I was not very intrigued. This is my heart when I try to come before the Healer of Broken Hearts as if the hurt, that screams to be made known, does not exist. This is my heart when I think I can take care of everything by myself and without His help. The Healer is calling Pristine to trust Him. He knows her. He sees her.

 “I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul.” Psalms 31:7 

Weathered needs some touch-ups but, overall, she is still functioning. This is my heart when I know I need help but I allow my pride to say, “I’m still functioning so I’ll just keep on doing, besides who has time?” This is my heart when I ask the Healer of Broken Hearts to heal me, but I have placed “No Trespassing” signs on the areas that would hurt most. He begins His work, beckoning to enter my guarded areas. Instead, I turn to myself and ignore Him, all the while becoming more and more weathered. The Healer is calling Weathered to know Him. He knows her. He sees her.

“My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘LORD, I am coming.’” 
 Psalms 27:8 

Abandoned. Her name says it all, she appears useless and discarded. She is invisible. Yet, the Healer of Broken Hearts notices Abandoned. This is my heart when I bare all my wounds and aches to the Healer, including the areas protected by rusty barbed wire. I cry out to the Healer. I tell Him that I am afraid to let Him into those protected areas and I ask Him to help undo the barbed wire. I come out of hiding behind the splintered wood and I give Him access to what is left of me; feeling vulnerable and exposed. The Healer restores and transforms Abandoned. He knows her. He sees her.

“To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.” Isaiah 61:3 

In the left bottom corner, Abandoned had a little hole containing secrets. I expected to find darkness or a skeleton of what once was. At first, I saw the darkness of loneliness, hurts, and fears that filled the mysterious room. A little deeper inward, awoke a beautiful field, full of sunlight with a blue sky whispering of a Hope within. Hope that only the Healer of Broken Hearts could bring. Abandoned, in all her vulnerability and outward appearance, held a beautiful masterpiece of Hope deep within. She is confident that the Healer will never leave her Abandoned.

Abandoned may never look like Pristine. However, she would never trade in her dancing colors of paint, the seas of splinters, barbed wire, and rust which are tender reminders of the Healer’s work of cultivating a rich Hope-filled soil that awakens within the depth of her heart and brings healing.

“But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.’” Isaiah 43:1