The People In Your Neighborhood

This Saturday, I grabbed a good book, found a comfy spot on my couch, and prepared to read while waiting for our new neighbors to move in. According to all my online stalking, the house was available June 1st, and it had already been rented out by a new tenant. It made perfect sense in my mind then that the new neighbors would move in this weekend. I could not wait to get a glimpse of them and formulate exactly the type of neighbor they were going to be just on the way they climbed out of their vehicles and carried items into their new home. As I sat and waited to my astonishment, no moving truck ever arrived. I just knew this meant one thing, they were going to be moving in on Sunday morning while I was at church and I would miss it all! How would I be able to judge them, I mean meet them, if I was not even home. While sitting on my couch, "reading" my book, and staring out the window waiting for the neighbors to arrive, I began to look around at all the other houses I could see from my living room picture window. I thought about how much and how little I know about each neighbor. I spent time reflecting on how little we actually see one another even the neighbors I know a lot about. I thought about how we often wait for opportunities instead of creating opportunities of our own to reach out. We do this even at church as well. It is so much easier to sit in our church buildings, gaze outside the window, and wonder where are the people? When will they arrive? This week I challenge you to take a step outside the doors, get off the couch, get out of the pew, stop gazing out the window, and reach out to someone else. Go to them instead of waiting for them to come to you. Show them a good glimpse of the love of God and also, take a moment to get to know them just a little bit better.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." ~1 Peter 2:9