Modern Day Highways and Byways Found in Walmart

Martha is currently working on her book about the Bride of Christ. It is absolutely going to be a show stopper! The topic itself is certainly fascinating, but Martha’s writings span the whole gamut of the topic. Who is the Bride, how can we be the Bride, how does she make herself ready, the meaning of the marriage feast, establishing a bridal relationship with Christ, how to be an overcomer, what about men being the Bride, understanding our eternity with Christ—the list goes on and on. It is going to be awesome when she finishes and releases it.

Trip to Walmart

So we were away on a writing retreat, and the topic of the wedding banquet was very fresh on our minds. We had to go into the highways and byways of Walmart for some supplies, and the store was packed to the gills with average Joes. Visit any Walmart and you know what I am saying. But on this day, every checkout line was completely maxed out and the aisles were slap full of shoppers. To get down an aisle, you would have to wait and then merge with the flow, not unlike navigating a heavily trafficked roundabout. It literally took us twice as long to get our stuff and check out as it normally would have. I can’t imagine what it would have been if I was doing my weekly shopping!

Once we were in the car, we talked about our experience. While thinking about it, I said, “Oh, I know why it was so busy: it’s Friday and everyone just got paid!” And then we saw the deeper message. It gave me a complete vision of the wedding feast that Martha spoke about earlier in the day. The people of Walmart are those who would have been on the highways and byways. These were the very people the king’s servants would have invited and who would have come for the free banquet. While the rich and occupied couldn’t be bothered by the invitation or event, these who were the many, all of humble backgrounds and position, gladly answered the call with a resounding YES!

The Highways and Byways

This whole encounter made it very real to me. These simple, blue-collar workers (average Joes) with their tattoos, out of shape bodies, and average sensibilities were just who the king would have sent His servants to call to come. WOW! The king would have said, “Go to Walmart and invite them all!” And they would have come.

“Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, yet those who had been invited to attend didn’t deserve the honor. Now I want you to go into the streets and alleyways and invite anyone and everyone you find to come and enjoy the wedding feast in honor of my son.’ “So the servants went out into the city streets and invited everyone to come to the wedding feast, good and bad alike, until the banquet hall was crammed with people!
Matthew 22:8-10 TPT

It is too easy to judge the book by the cover. To Christ, we are all the same. ALL of us are just common Joes, whether we maintain a sophisticated demeanor or not. It is not about what we have or don’t have, or whether we polish our outer form with designer clothes and perfectly coiffed hair or run about with stringy fuchsia dyed strands and sport sleeve tats and nose rings instead. Christ is looking for hearts that will fall in love with Him and be eternally His Bride.