Are We Missing the Invitation?

Article by Christine Crawford

Many of us feel emotionally overwhelmed and spiritually under-awed. Daily, we fight frustration, battle burnout, and crave connection. We yearn for deeper faith and richer relationships but wonder where to start. We seek more than a faith that knows about God, does for God, or strives to meet expectations we imagine come from God. That kind of faith leaves us feeling disconnected, disillusioned, and like something might be missing. That’s because it is.

Somehow, we’ve forgotten that faith is an invitation—not to meet an expectation or amass more information, but to experience intimacy and transformation. Many of us have been living out our faith upside-down. We’ve misunderstood the assignment. We’ve missed the invitation.

The Theology of Invitation

Episode 2 of the DRAW NEAR DWELL WELL podcast series is titled, The Theology of Invitation. In it, I offer a quick Theology 101 lesson and explore God’s invitation to live healed and whole by drawing near and dwelling well. I discuss the natural human tendency to bootstrap our faith and invite us to consider whether the ways we are living our lives actually align with his will and his heart. I also touch on ways we’ve misunderstood the assignment, including:

• Our assignment is to honor and nourish our humanity, not betray or exploit it.
• Self-stewardship isn’t selfish; it’s scriptural. It’s not optional; it’s obedience.
• Soul care isn’t about getting woo-woo or going new age; it’s about honoring our divine design.
• Caring for our souls and stewarding our humanity aren’t just good ideas; they’re biblical mandates.
• Our divine assignment includes nurturing our lives and loves for our good and his glory.

(See the DNDW Resource Guide for scripture and resources regarding this.)

But I spend most of the episode reminding us that faith is not about knowing more ABOUT God or doing more FOR God. It’s not about meeting a long list of expectations we think come FROM God. It’s about accepting the one big, beautiful invitation to draw near to—and dwell well WITH—God. It really is as simple as being with Jesus so we can become like Jesus.

In our post-modern, hyper-intellectual, western culture, however, we simply cannot fathom the simplicity of faith. So, we overcomplicate and extra-formulate it, accidentally adding to, distracting from, and twisting upside down what it means to follow Jesus.

It really is as simple as being with Jesus so we can become like Jesus.

Some Gentle Reminders to Us All:

• Knowing more about God isn’t the same as knowing God. As a geek, I believe information is fun, but it isn’t always formational. Information will not heal us, redeem us, or make us whole. Only intimacy will. When we mistake information for transformation, we end up with big heads and empty hearts.
• Doing for God is great…except when it crowds out dwelling with God. Yes, our deeds matter. Yes, our fruit matters. But fruit comes through abiding. And Jesus’s initial invitation to his disciples was not to do for him but to dwell with him so they could love like him. When we mistake doing for God with being with God, we end up with busy hands but stagnant hearts.
• Wearying ourselves by striving to meet expectations we imagine come from God actually grieves God. When we reduce living out our faith to ticking down a checklist, we end up with an impressive resume but an impotent witness.

Please understand: I’m not preaching as much as I’m confessing. When it comes to faith, I think we all have some spiritual vertigo. So I’ve been studying the scriptures, listening to God, and practicing at practicing soul care and spiritual formation practices. And I have become convinced that our maker has formed us for and invited us to a quieter, sweeter, simpler, more intimate, more joy-sparking and peace-giving faith than I initially understood. I believe God wants to set us free by helping us see that most of us have had faith upside down all along. And if we’re willing, He’s about to cause a holy shift.💛

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