On the Outside Looking In
Have you ever been to a place called Monkey Joe’s? It is an indoor playground for children with giant blow up playthings for kids to jump on, climb over, slide down, and run through. It is a haven for children and parents alike. The boys and girls can play on the inflatable toys without getting hurt while the parents can sit back, relax, and even have adult conversations since the kids are being monitored by referees who make sure the kids are following the rules.
This is where we recently celebrated my 3 year old granddaughter Molly’s birthday along with 35 of her closest friends and their parents. Monkey Joe’s has party rooms where the children for each group can go to have the refreshments—pizza, cake and juice. After the singing and distribution of the cake, I was visiting with my friend when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young boy on the outside peering through the glass at the party. He was on the outside looking in, wanting to be a part of the fun and excitement of the celebration. As he looked longingly through the window, I wanted to rush out and invite the child in, but he was not on the guest list.
There are people today, who are on the outside of faith looking in. Jesus desires to have them come to His party and has invited them in, but they have not made the decision to walk through the door to be a part of the celebration. They are peering in, checking out the party to see what’s going on to see if it is worth taking the step to enter. When they examine your life do they see joy that comes from knowing Jesus? Do they see love being expressed through your actions? Do they see peace no matter what the circumstances of life have thrown your way? When they hear you speak, do they hear words of kindness and encouragement? In other words, do they view a picture that makes them desire to be a part of what you have or does it just confirm to them that being on the outside is not so bad after all? Let’s strive to make others want to be in on the celebration. Let’s invite them in. The bigger the party, the better it will be.
Matthew 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.
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