Invitations shape the contours of our lives. And for almost a month now, I’ve been considering how. So, after stumbling onto the One Word Three Sixty-Five website a few days into the New Year, the word invitation seemed like the obvious choice.

In her new book,Invitations from God: Accepting God’s Offer to Rest, Weep, Forgive, Wait, Remember and More, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun says this about invitations, “They can challenge and remake us. They can erode and devastate. And they can also heal and restore us. Being wanted, welcomed, invited and included are some of the most mending experiences on the planet.”

We are either invited in or locked out of people’s lives. Whether spoken or unspoken, negative messages conveyed through a closed door, a call that never comes, or a gathering that excludes you, cause profound, soul-destroying damage. The message is loud and clear — You’re not welcome in my life. Stay away.

On the other hand, invitations from God bring healing and freedom. How we respond to these divine invitations, shapes our present and our future.

Invitations that Transform

This year, I’m sensing and embracing these holy invitations:

1. Soul care
2. My personal, sacred pathway
3. Freedom from chaos and dysfunction in relationships
4. Deep, soul-nourishing friendships with other creative contemplatives
5. Artful, authentic writing on both a personal and professional level
6. Spiritual direction and companionship
7. Freedom to fail
8. Wholeness
9. Life’s simple joys–color, texture, conversations, beauty
10. Emotional intimacy in marriage

What invitations will shape the contour of your life in 2012? Which should you accept? Decline?