COME TO MY PARTY

I invited my friends to a party but they don't want to come. They are starting to avoid me when we meet. I'm afraid I'll be the only one there. I'm pouting about my sorry lot. Why is this such a bummer? It's a pity party!

A knock on my door.

I might have guessed. That joy robber, ole Satan himself, is the only one who is eager to show up for my pity party. He even arrives early. He takes for granted that he's invited because he whispered the idea in my ear in the first place.

He comes bringing numerous presents attractively wrapped and with my name on them. I know that's a bribe to allow him in, but somehow I fall for it anyway. At least I won't be alone.

I'm quite excited to receive all those presents—until I start unwrapping them. One is a 3-D gift: Depression, Discouragement, and Disappointment. Others are Defeat, Despair, Hopelessness, Failure, and Frustration.

The gift in the largest box wrapped in shiny silver paper is Worry.

One odd-shaped gift is full of Imaginations, Irritations, and "What ifs." They have a bad odor! All are tied with yellow ribbons of Fear.

Satan tricked me by having his most important gift delivered to my door by special Dark Messenger. It was Self-pity, all wrapped up in itself. To think I had to pay to receive it! 

Satan is offended because I don't like his generous gifts. He says I should keep the presents anyway because at a future pity party probably no one else will bring me any gifts.

He delivers a fast one by offering one final gift—a Mirror. He urges me to take a good look at myself.

Poor me! What a low self-image I see! Satan agrees that I look awful, then cackles at my reaction. He predicts that things will only get worse. Now I feel utterly neglected and forgotten by everyone. He urges me in a hoarse whisper to pull the curtains closed and just give up on life.

I feel so pathetic that I don't even want Satan around for company. I insist that he leave my party immediately. (That's one command he has to obey according to James 4:7, ". . . resist the devil and he will flee from you.") As he turns tail and runs out the door, that joy robber taunts me by singing a little children’s ditty: “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms!" Gloom settles over the room as Satan's stench lingers.

Another knock on the door?

Oh, it's GOD! I guess I forgot to invite Him to my party. But in His always-loving way, He came anyway bringing me a huge basket of Fruit carefully gift-wrapped in gold foil.

God asks me whether I will accept it. Well, why not? So I thank Him and unwrap it to find the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22, 23) The pleasant, mellow aroma overpowers me as I take each piece of Fruit out and put it on the party table where I stacked Satan's presents. Satan's gifts suddenly disappear as if by magic! Sunshine floods the room, and the fragrance of spring blossoms floats in.

God is pleased at my happy response. "I have another Gift for you." He hands me a Mirror.

Oh no, not another mirror! But when I look into God's Mirror, I see myself reflected as God's precious child. It's a Supernatural Mirror where I can see right past the outward appearance to the heart. I see as God sees! I see nothing there to pity! I'm a child of The King!

Now I realize that Satan gave me a gimmick mirror like the ones at carnivals and fairs that distorts reality. In Satan's mirror I didn't see my real image.

Some say it's bad luck to break a mirror, but that doesn't apply to the one Satan gave me. I crash it to the floor and it shatters! The whole room takes on the festive atmosphere of a "JESUS CELEBRATION."

Spontaneously I start singing, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."

Now who's knocking at my door?

Oh, it’s all my smiling friends who declined the invitation to my pity party! They heard me singing! They carry blessing balloons and noise makers and bring armloads of Gifts of Friendship and Encouragement. 

"May we come in? A PRAISE PARTY is the kind we want to attend!"

****

From THE RESOURCE BOOK

All of Psalm 145 from “I will extol Thee, my God, O King; I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day I will bless Thee”.... to “my mouth will speak the praises of the Lord;

and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”