The party

My birthday was not that long ago, and Lauren's is coming up. So, consequently, I've been thinking alot about parties. You know, balloons, cake, presents, friends, sleepovers, getting to bed late...or not at all. Birthday parties. It got me thinking about the most exciting, fun, and long party ever.
Let's say one day you get two invitations. They're both from close friends. One invitation is colorful, and because your eye is instantly drawn to it, you open this letter first. It states that you'll have the best time of your life. That you'll be cool, and popular, that you'll be wealthy, and have lots of friends. That you'll be famous and smart and everything else you've ever wanted to be. And - it offers you eternal life with this friend. How cool is that? Well, because you were so excited about this really cool party, you forget all about the other invitation, and immediately RSVP to say that you're coming. The next few days fly by - shopping for something to wear, for a gift, for jewelry, for a card. Finally, it's the day of the party. You've already told all your friends that you are going. You've got a totally new outfit, a new necklace and shoes, and curled your hair. Five minutes before time to leave, you find the other invitation. You know, the one that you forgot to open. Filled with curiosity, you reach for it. It's just a plain envelope - maybe even ugly. You tear it open and find a dirty white piece of paper. The writing is in red ink, and it doesn't look very festive. It goes something like this:

Dear Friend,
Please come to my party. Don't dress up - I like you the way you are. The only gift I would like to have is the gift of your prescence. I can't promise you wealth here on Earth, but in Heaven, I have tons to give. I can't promise you popularity here on Earth, but you'll have a great group of friends up in Heaven. I can't promise you long life here on Earth, but you'll have it forever in Heaven. I can't promise that you'll always have a good time - but I can promise to always be with you through the tough spots. Please RSVP.
Love, true love,
Jesus
P.S. I've sacrificed everything for you to come. Please don't break my heart!

Your mom beeps the horn outside, and yells at you to hurry it up. But all of a sudden, the bright colours don't look so pretty. Your dress doesn't look beautiful - it just looks uncomfortable. And those shoes - how on earth did you expect to walk in those for eternal life? And, sorry to say this, but your hair is already coming uncurled. What will people say when you arrive at the party? They'd probably laugh. With one more glance in the mirror, you run to your room, pull on jeans, wipe off the make up, and rush out to the car in tennis shoes. And then you leave for the party - Jesus' party - because you know he will accept you the way you are.