“Light speaks to us of God’s goodness; darkness speaks of our need. But both can become offers of God’s presence.”- John Ortberg
“It is important to know if we are alone in the dark.”- Stephen Hawking
“By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me.”- Psalm 42:7
In Chapter 4 (“Your Bid: Invitations to Connect”) of I’d Like You More . . . , John Ortberg notes we constantly send out little probes to find out if we’re alone in the dark. And how we handle these little probes of emotional life either builds up or erodes intimacy.
Furthermore, Pastor Ortberg notes, we generally respond to invitations in one of three ways:
- Accept. We constantly send signals — facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and pauses — that indicate our interest in connecting. Even if we can’t immediately accept the invitation, we find a way to say yes to a different time.
- Reject. People more attuned to the language of logic sometimes unintentionally shut the door to intimacy. While they may never develop fluency at “Invitationese,” over time they’re able to learn to speak it.
- Ignore. This sends a message that we missed the real invitation – to spend time together. As a result, it’s less likely for the other person to invite us the next time.
However, John states, Jesus walked through life as the master of intimacy. Consequently, in two simple words, He offered the greatest invitation – Follow me. Pastor Ortberg continues:
“And now Jesus offers the same invitation to you. Just as he offered back then to be with those who would follow him, in the midst of their ordinary lives, so too, he offers to walk with you in the midst of your ordinary life today. . . . God continually invites us to connect with him. And he doesn’t give up.”
Today’s question: How does light speak to you of God’s goodness? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our lack of self-awareness”
