Take your place

My friend from high school had invited me to a party after 15 years. It was her birthday and she had invited as many high school friends as she could reach. I looked forward to seeing old friends and attending the party. On the night I got dressed up, gave my husband and kids hugs and kisses and happily drove off. When I got there I had a funny feeling and as I looked around it was not what I had anticipated. I was in a room full with people I used to know but who had formed their own bonds. They all seemed to have kept in touch with each other sitting in little cliques and clusters having their own conversations. The experience was draining. It was a lovely gathering filled with the music, chatter, laughter, however I felt left out. They savoured the times shared and I sat there feeling a bit left out. I walked round hoping to find an empty seat on other tables, trying to join into their discussions but it did not change how I was feeling. I thought to myself- ‘Where have I been? How come I have missed so much? I couldn’t wait to get back home to my children, to my circle, where I could chat, talk, laugh and not have this awkward feeling.

I spent a most of that evening trying be friendly to people I already knew, and I did not open up other people that I did not know. I tried to penetrate a minor group of old acquaintances not seeing that there were many other people. As it thought about that day I began to see that though I could not strengthen my relationship with my old friends, I was also reluctant to start new friendship with those I did not know.

It is normal to desire to be accepted by others. We try hard to be our best often worrying  if we will fit in, we go from one circle to another, trying to find our place and searching for an vacant chair. The problem is that it may be wrong chair. God has a prepared a special seat for you with your name written on it. He wants you to come just as you are and sit on His table to dine with Him.Don’t expend your life seeking to find a chair at a lesser table, seeking to be included, and seeking to fit in when you have a place on the kings table. Why do you bend and reshape yourself to belong, when you can settle into the one chair made especially for you. When we take our place on the kings table we begin to see the needs of others around us, begin to form new connections, and reach out to share Gods love.