She is four. Church to her is cold pews, dangling feet, pretty windows, and some sort of singing, if that's what you call it. She sits on the pew as she plays with the hymnal. Wide eyed and filled with wonder as she gazes around the sanctuary. She knows that it's Jesus' birthday today and that's exciting because all birthdays are exciting, right? Especially to a four year old.
People are in a line eating and drinking when the line comes to the end. What is this? She wonders. What are they eating? What are they drinking? It's her turn...she follows her family down what seems to be an unending red carpet. It's time. What are these people saying? I'm next, so I guess I'll find out. "Child, this bread is the body of Christ, broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me." "This wine is the blood of Christ shed for you and for me. Drink this in remembrance of me." As she looked up to the people speaking and back at her family, she said "No thanks" and walked right past the beautiful supper that the Lord had graciously invited her to. And ohhh did He want her to come to His dinner. He yearns for her to come. I imagine the Lord's anticipation as His child walked down that seemingly endless carpet, hoping for the honor to dine with her. "No Thanks". The Fathers heart breaks. He wanted to talk to her, teach her, make her laugh, dance with her, tell her that she is the most beautiful young woman and that He is totally enthralled by her beauty.
How often do we do this? I know for me personally, an embarrassing amount of times. We look full into the Lord's face and say "no thanks" and go along our way, chained from head to toe in bondage to sin. By saying no thanks, we are saying to the one who breathed life into our bodies that "no thanks God, my ways and plans are far better that your plans and the taste of sin is far better than the holiness that you offer." Oh how it must hurt the Fathers heart to hear those words. No thanks.
Beloved, the Lord desires your heart in the most intense way that we can comprehend, he yearns to satisfy every little nook and cranny of your soul. My prayer through this season is that our tendencies to say "no thanks" will be suffocated out of our hearts by the Holy Spirit and that we shall be filled with the Living Water that our God SO desires to give us.
Next time your invited to the Lord's supper, which is daily, my prayer is that you are able to just bask in the incredible and intense beauty of what has been done for us. We are bought with the most precious sacrifice that could have ever been made. Breath that truth deep into your heart. It.is.finished. You are no longer bound to the things of this world! What good news!
Know that you are deeply desired and deeply loved by your Heavenly Father and that He is eagerly awaiting your heart and his arms are wide open.
