The Night No One Showed Up
The invites had been delivered, the house cleaned, soft music played and the diffuser was putting the delightful scents of fall into the air. The table was spread with sundry treats and swag bags were waiting to be claimed.
Everything was ready, food bought and prepared, nothing was lacking to make this a great evening.
The door was flung open wide and all that was needed were the guests, we were ready!
The clock ticked.
It tocked.
The chimes sounded.
I peeked out the door for the new friends that would surely be coming soon.
I wave hi to a jogger who doesn’t see me, her music is playing and her thoughts are within.
A car drives by but his thoughts are straight ahead.
The clock hands continue to move and it becomes apparent that the living room will remain empty tonight. There won’t be guests, or new friends this time.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you reached out for one purpose or another and found no response? It’s a let down and disappointing. I had something very fun to share, and wanted to give of myself for a bit, but there was no interest.
The night no one showed up really made me think though…
Someone else has prepared a meal, a palace, a place where we will be welcomed and embraced. Nothing is lacking, the price has been paid and our invites sealed in blood.
He’s waiting for us to come, his call rings true. Will you come, will you accept the invite?
Or maybe like me, you’ve accepted the invite but your actions don’t always show it. You see, I have an invite to the greatest wedding feast in the universe and not only am I invited, I am the guest of honor.
Shouldn’t I be preparing as well? Shouldn’t I be living conscious of that fact and my actions revealing that I have been chosen as part of Christ’s holy bride?
A bride lives in expectation of her wedding day. She invites others to join her. She prepares for her new life. Her face is aglow and she is ready to tell anyone who will listen about her groom. Everyone who knows her, knows who she is giving herself to.
Is it that way with me? Does everyone who knows me, know I belong to the King of Kings? That I am God’s chosen and elect; the bride of Christ? Am I inviting others to join me on this special day?
Too many times I do not live mindfully of who I am in Christ. And perhaps my forgetfulness of what Christ has done for me, leaves him feeling sad and hurt, similar to myself when our living room remained empty that night.
I want to live with purpose. A purpose to shine the light of the gospel no matter where I am. A purpose to honor God and encourage my fellow man.
Have you ever had an experience similar to the night no one showed up here? Did it make you think too?
Liz Shrout says
September 25, 2016 at 8:19 pm😿I miss sorry nobody came. It is their loss.
This post has made me think of my actions tho, I have accepted His invitation and I know I need to put more work into showing it thru my actions and invitations towards others! Excellent post Kendra!!
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures says
September 25, 2016 at 8:24 pmExcellent post! Thank you for the reminder to live purposefully! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Robin says
September 25, 2016 at 9:01 pmI am sorry that this happened – I would have been glad to come! Something similar happened for my 19th birthday (am now 28). At the time, I had fallen in with a questionable group of people, but still refused to participate in underage drinking. When said group of people heard my request for my party to be alcohol-free, they all had other plans for that night. It was the first incident that made me stop and think about who these “friends” really were. (Despite the name of my blog, “Wine and Paw Prints”, I try to drink wine or a couple of beers on weekends only.)
Kendra says
September 26, 2016 at 3:01 pmWe are nearly the same age! My friends all came to the event I planned for them. This was for people I would like to know better and apparently they didn’t care lol.
But I love that you stayed true to your beliefs even in the face of rejection, that’s not always easy to do.
Cheryl says
September 25, 2016 at 9:58 pmOh, my! I am SO sorry you went to all of this trouble, for naught. Yes, we had a similar situation at our clothing charity, and it was SO disheartening. I love the thought you shared comparing this to our Lord and the wedding supper being prepared for us. How it must break His heart to know that so many are rejecting His invitation, when it cost Him His life to provide it. God bless you, sweet friend. 🙂
Kendra says
September 26, 2016 at 2:59 pmYes, and it’s okay. I didn’t expect a huge turnout since I had actually invited people I didn’t know very well (but wanted to know better) and most had looked at me like I was crazy lol. But it just seemed so symbolic to how Christ invites us.
Hilde says
September 26, 2016 at 11:16 amI have had this experience a lot of times. I tried to reach out a lot of times to other people and they didn’t even bother to come Or frequently they had an event and ” forgot ” to invite me. ( this is happening in church!!!) I know they are in touch with each other but just not with me. I try and try again.
But it breaks my heart every time again. It made me disappointed in people and most of the time the feeling of worthlessness is overwhelming. I feel so bad, I feel not only rejected by people but also by God.
Kendra says
September 26, 2016 at 2:53 pmI’m so sorry that you are being rejected by those who are supposed to be your family in Christ. Sometimes that is when you realize the Lord is calling you elsewhere.
Please remember he isn’t rejecting you, his word states that those who call to him will be answered and he promises to always be with us. Sometimes the body of Christ acts a little bit like a human body suffering from a seizure, it’s not the head’s will for this to happen, but sometimes there is a malfunction.
God will never reject those who seek him. He doesn’t let us down, but sometimes his people do and I’m sorry about that 🙁
Melinda Mitchell says
September 26, 2016 at 6:04 pmKendra, this was a perfect post! Thank you for constantly pointing us to Christ!