Living An Inviting Life

Living an Inviting Life

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.

It was on a dreary day in the middle ground between winter and spring that Kendra and I set off for a rare day of junking, coffee, and just hanging out together as we dreamed about the repurposing possibilities for all the funky stuff we stumbled across.

As we approached the cash register with our small purchases in a farmhouse-turned-cute-antique-shop, we struck up a conversation with the woman running the till. She had overheard our rambling conversation as we wandered throughout the house, and as she wrapped the cute glassware Kendra had bought, she teasingly said to us, “I wish I was your friend.” Without a pause, we laughingly told her that we are always on the hunt for new friends and that we would totally be her friend. We all laughed as the sale was completed and said a merry goodbye as we headed off for the next store.

It wasn’t until we had all parted ways that her words sank in a little deeper. We were in a town hours away from where we lived, so actually becoming friends wasn’t a practical possibility; however, the clerk saw something in Kendra and me, something in our interaction with one another and with the strangers around us, that drew her into our circle, if only for a few minutes.

Oh, Jesus, that’s the woman I want to be all the time, I quietly prayed as we walked down the sidewalk. I want to be a woman who walks into the grocery store, the gas station, and all the ordinary places with an invitation for others to belong, even if just for that moment. I want to be the kind of woman who makes others feel comfortable, welcome, and included—even if I never see them again. I want to be a woman of whom others whisper, “I want to be her friend.”

Women are hungry for community, for relationship, for friendship—even if it is just a warm smile and small talk. What an easy way to spread the love of Christ as we walk through our days.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

As you walk through your day, create space for others to belong, even with just a smile and a greeting.