Part 5 of 8

If you're still with us on this 8 part journey, my prayer is that Jesus is at work in you, showing you something new - or at least, something you've forgotten but will be able to apply to your situation now. I hope your understanding of His mercy, compassion and love for you is coming through this writing for you. This day may be difficult, so you MUST keep in mind Jesus loves you and didn't come to condemn you. With that said, let's continue the tour..

There comes a time in the tour when Jesus asks you about the Rec Room, you know, where you go and what you do for fun and fellowship with others. Part of you wishes He hadn't asked. We all have certain friends or activities we have or do for fun that we want to keep for ourselves. You don't want to have to give up your fun for the rest of your life to follow Jesus, do you? You know what things or people in your world He wouldn't approve of, so you evade His question.

A little while down the road, you grab your coat and you're ready to head out the door with some of your friends for a "well-deserved, long-overdue, night on the town". Jesus is standing by the front door and asks, "Oh, are you going out tonight?" You tell Him that you are, meeting some buddies at your favorite place to hang out. You're surprised when Jesus says, "Oh good, I would like to go with you!"

Uh-oh. You can't have Jesus with you when you meet your friends. What would they say? What would Jesus say about the place you all hang out? You reply awkwardly,"You know, I really don't think you would enjoy where we're going. And you probably wouldn't be comfortable around these people, they run in different circles. Maybe you and I could go out somewhere together some other time soon. How about tomorrow night? We could attend a Bible class? or a church social event? but tonight, I have other plans. You understand, right?"

Deep down, you know your own feelings would have been hurt by that, you feel that guilt returning, but Jesus doesn't give you a hard time. He very simply says, "As you wish. I must have misunderstood. When you asked me to come into your home, I was hoping we would do everything together and be like best friends. But you're free to make your own choices, freedom of choice is part of our relationship, just know that I'm always willing to go with you."

You reassure Jesus that tomorrow night you'll go somewhere together and head out the door.

A few hours pass and you realize you just aren't having a good time like you thought you would. In fact, you're miserable. You feel awful for leaving Jesus home, after all, what kind of friend are you? You deliberately chose to leave Him out of part of your life. You chose to go places with people knowing He'd never enjoy. That was a choice you made on purpose.

You end up calling it a night earlier than usual and head home. Pulling into the driveway you realize there's a light still on in Jesus' room, so you decide to talk things over with Him. You knock and He opens the door and invites you to come into His room. You explain that you've learned your lesson. You now know that if you leave Him out of your fun too, you won't be able to really have any fun yourself anymore. You recommit to Jesus that from now on, you will be doing everything together. Waiting for the "I told you so" speech, Jesus just walks over to you, gives you a warm hug, looks you in your eyes and tells you with all sincerity, "That would make me very happy, I love when we're together."

Then you both go down to the rec room. Jesus had transformed it for you while you were out. While you left Him behind for personal and selfish reasons, He stayed behind to do something nice for you. He really does practice unconditional love, doesn't He?

In the rec room, Jesus had brought in new friendships, new excitement, new joys you never anticipated. Ever since that night, there's been music and laughter and fun throughout the house. He politely teases, "I bet you never thought you'd have any fun ever again with me around, didn't you? Just remember, I came that my joy would be in you, and that your joy may be full!" (Jn 15:11)

So as you go through your journey, starting today, don't be afraid to let go of things you know are causing separation between you and Jesus. Trust Him to replace those friends, locations, TV shows, music, events, and other distractions. He will replace them with so much joy and happiness and laughter that you never imagined! He loves you and wants to be your best friend, and experience this life with you. Take that first baby step and invite Him into all you do, including your fun. May you be blessed today.