A Dangerous Invitation

It’s a dangerous invitation
That I’m holding out to you.
I display it like a rose
But really, underneath, it’s covered in thorns and dripping with my blood. 
I bear the scars from where this invitation has hurt me in the past. 
I’ve held this rose too tightly. 
I’ve been greedy. I’ve kept it to myself. 
I’ve crushed the petals because of my pride. 
I’ve stunted its growth and refused to allow it to be pruned. 
I can’t prune this rose myself. 
I can’t bring myself to cut what seems so beautiful in the moment. 
But it’s only through pruning that this rose will grow again. 

The pruning happens before the winter. Imagine what a rose must feel like in the middle of the winter—it’s cold, it’s bare, it’s raw, it’s open, and it’s vulnerable. Pruning must seem like the cruelest punishment for doing nothing wrong. 

But THEN, spring returns. LIFE begins to grow on and HOPE blooms aloud. 

And maybe, for once, I can let this rose go. Maybe I can finally share its beauty with someone else. Maybe I can share the thorns, too. Maybe I can trust that the pruning is necessary and even GOOD. Maybe I can believe that spring is just around the corner and love is blooming for me, too. 

The invitation to love and to receive love is a dangerous invitation. But maybe that’s exactly the step of faith God is calling me to. 

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What “dangerous invitation” is God calling you to respond to with daring faith? 


I will step out boldly in faith. I will accept this dangerous invitation. I will walk forward with bold confidence. I will step out of the shadows with a renewed sense of hope. I will dance in the light with a joy that could only be heavenly. I will run and not grow weary. I will anchor on the shore and burn the ships, never looking back. I will forge ahead, even when the path seems unclear. I will be BOLD for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom coming. I will not fear for I know that my Father is not only watching, but he is with me. I will love and I will love and I will love and I will love again. 

God, I’m not ready for that. But that’s the mindset I want. Change my heart. Prune me. I’m asking for that. Asking for you to prune me is a dangerous invitation, too. And I'm ready to extend that. Your will be done.