Invite Him In
I had this random image of what it would look like if a time-lapse of my day was created. But there’s a twist; this wasn’t any normal time-lapse video. This one physically showed my posture when my thoughts and actions turned toward God and when I turned away.
Moments of prayer - I could visibly see my body turn toward God.
Moments of impatience - I see my body shift away from God.
Moments talking about Him at small group - shift back toward God
Moments stressing over the to-do list - turn away from God
Moments setting aside the to-do list to engage with my family - toward
Moments irritated by others - away
Moments being grateful - toward
Moments scrolling mindlessly - away
Moments of laughter with others - toward
Moments wishing things were different (a.k.a. complaining) - away
Moments sitting at Mass in silence - toward
Moments of worry - away
Viewing this unique time-lapse of myself turning toward and away from God could be a bit comical to watch, but moreover, a bit of a reckoning. Just the thought of it prompts me to try to snap out of my poor, habitual ways. I’m blaming it on Advent for putting this notion of my need for improvement on my conscience. Thank you, liturgical calendar for bringing these moments to light in this season of Advent.
Last Sunday at Mass the words “Invite Him In” came to me, and I’ve tried to make it my Advent meditation. Hang with me here…but when I tie together my time-lapse video with this Advent phrase, the result is me trying to remember to Invite Him In during those moments when I’m doing things that turn me away from God.
Inviting Him In takes action on our part. Like inviting anyone into our home, it takes a little cleaning up. The house doesn’t have to sparkle, but an effort of preparation is expected. Then we have to unlock the door. Put down our own resistance. We may need to ask for the grace to remove a layer of hardness or bitterness.
It’s easy to invite anyone in your house when it’s sparkling and clean and freshly dusted. What’s harder is to invite someone in amidst the dust and the piles…to humble ourselves knowing the state of our home isn’t quite, shall we say, in order. Making ourselves little with the self-awareness that we know we’re in need of cleaning and better upkeep is the posture that holds us in the arms of Christ. The fact that my time-lapsed day reveals way more turning away moments than turning towards God throughout the day reminds me to Invite Him In.
Jesus, I invite you in to this moment. Grant me the confidence that I’m supposed to be here in this moment and the grace to know You are with me. When the moment comes that I get distracted and turn away from You, remind me to invite you back in no matter the dust piles. Amen.