Five Minute Friday: Welcome

Time for 5 minute Friday! This is a great community writing exercise posted each week on Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

Want to take on the challenge? Here are the rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the chosen word of the day – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link to Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you and encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

If you have a blog (or even if you don't), you should give it a try! There's no better way to get the creative juices flowing than with a timed exercise - no over thinking, no picking apart.

So here's my stab at today's 5 minute Friday:

Welcome...

You sense it immediately when you walk into a room. Often it’s a palpable feeling – warm and welcoming or cold and harsh. The temperature either goes up or down, quickly, and you know in an instant whether you are welcome or not.

I wonder how people welcomed Jesus in his day? Well, I know some welcomed him with open arms, eager to hear what he had to say, while others despised him and gave him nothing but cold stares and hatred. Eventually even some who had called him “friend” and welcomed him at first, turned on him and crucified him in the end.

But how did Jesus welcome strangers? Whether they were outcasts, like the woman at the well, or noblemen, like Nicodemus, Jesus always seemed to have time in his day to welcome anyone.

Lord, I want to be like You. To look past the outside and to live a life that says, “Welcome. You are loved. You are precious to God and therefore, you are precious to me.”