It was worth the cleaning, a week of cleaning and sorting and organizing – worth it to have the clean house and worth it to have people over – even if they were not “my” people but friends of my youngest – people to play a card game with me not in the mix – it was both great to hear them rattle on with the game and with conversation – and great to just know that I helped facilitate this lovely evening for them (in other words cleaned up my own piles of stuff). I was glad to welcome them – and extra so good to see my kid want to host and prep. (and now my house is clean for the holidays, yay!)

Not that any food prep was hard – they just simply wanted the preformed refrigerated Pillsbury cookies with the shape in the middle – these were turkeys – funny… And yet I wanted to have something else for them an so got a box of brownie mix and saw the premade pie dough, yeah why not, knowing I had the apples – and the pie turned out fabulous in my opinion and so easy. It was like decoration and well, no one ate the pie apparently – I saw the piece I had cut out but not others = oh well… Those Pillsbury cookies surely went – all gone!!! And the grape kool-aid – classic joy for 20 somethings was pretty good…

And yes, I enjoyed meeting the new people, had some small talk before they started their games (Magic the Gathering and maybe some D&D, and LOTS of chit chat). So yes, I made small talk even cut the pie to make folks feel welcome to eat it (it was a beautiful pie and honestly I would buy the premade crust again just to accelerate my ease of pie making) – and well then I retired back to my room by 730 – cleaning in my room a bit – watched a show (catch up on Amazing Race) and well asleep by 9.

It’s not like I wasn’t invited because it was in my house – but honestly it was good to give them the house for the night – let them have the get together – let them have their space. And honestly, they were having such an amazing time in their games (and the volume of conversation stayed at such a high level), it was just like being at the party but not being at the party – like being privy to the party – but not in it. Perhaps some did not even know that I was in the other room. And that was OK – but well, wished I could have enticed them to try the pie – lol – but it was ALL GOOD – it was better than good because I saw my youngest being a great host… And I heard a volume of sweet “kids” having great fun.

In talking about the distance from the party – being privy – perhaps I can relate this to God being privy – because He is always present – but God is not necessarily included or invited into every aspect of our lives – into people’s lives. Or perhaps some people who don’t even know God was (and is) in the room. I’m not talking about me at the party anymore, obviously, I’m realizing this is how God may feel in many of our lives – that people don’t know of Him – as friend or as God, or remember to seek Him. God is privy, knows everything, can do everything, answer questions on everything, God is present, but when we don’t invite Him into the conversations we miss out. When we don’t invite Him into the the answer to our questions, we miss out. When we don’t share with God, even though He owns the whole pie, not just a slice of your life, we miss the big picture. We miss out. God is Privy, so we should invite Him to our party – to our life.

David said: God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Psalm 53:2 NKJV

So let us invite God in. Let us consult with Him even in a conversation. Keep His advice in the back of your mind and His Hope in the front. Let us make our life of the party the party of life – it is a game we play but God holds the cards. He holds us in HIS HANDS – there is also a covenant He makes with us by giving us this freedom and asks in return that we DO return to Him – believe in Him – love Him – love others – be servant hearts – repent to Him – be still dependent upon Him…

Well, I am grateful God is in THIS day – may we all keep looking for Him – not just in the sunrise (or sunset) but as the Great I AM – creator of everything…

AMEN

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Psalm 50:1-12 NIV  A psalm of Asaph.
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.
He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.

“Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God.
I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.