Three Kinds of Invitations

Some invitations come out of the blue and require an immediate decision—like when a friend texts you at noon and asks if you’re free for lunch. Other invitations are less immediate. The event doesn’t happen when the card arrives. It’s simply a foreshadowing of what’s to come. And other times, the invitation seems lost in transit. 

The same logic holds true when God invites us into new opportunities. The timing matters.

In some cases, the timing is immediate. You’re going about your day and he says, “Follow me.” Not tomorrow or next year, but now. That’s the first kind of invitation. 

Other times, he offers advance insights into a future occurrence so we have time to prepare. It’s not now. But next. So we wait with our eyes on him for the right timing. That’s the second type of invitation. 

And then there’s the third kind. This is perhaps the hardest because there doesn’t actually seem to be an invitation. In the waiting, we can feel unseen or forgotten. Especially when others are receiving invitations. In these times, it’s helpful to remember that “not yet” isn’t the same as “not ever”—and remain patient rather than make our own invitation.

It’s good to know the difference between the three. Especially with God’s invitations, the timing matters.

This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).

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