for a while now, b has been bringing up our neighbors trash cans. on thursdays after the trash gets picked up, b goes to our neighbors on either side and brings their trash cans to the side of their homes. it's no big deal and he's not looking for a pat on the back, he's down there getting ours and figures hey, why not bring theirs up too. it's the neighborly thing to do, the "Jesus" thing to do, it's an example of community. doesn't matter how small it is, it's sending a message.
so this morning when i went for my run, on my way back i noticed an un-mowed lawn across the street. this particular part of grass was beyond the boundaries of the backyards yet the owners of the homes hopped their fences and mowed down the grass close to the busy street. it looks nice and short and fresh for as far as your eye could see......then oops, looks like somebody didn't make it out of their backyard...i'm guessing 12-18 feet of un-mowed grass, followed by nicely manicured lawns after. i started thinking to myself. how hard would it be for those people, already hopping their own fence to mow that extra 12 feet so the street looks uniform. and not to do it b/c the weeds look bad, or b/c we have an image we need upheld on Reno (the name of the street) but what if, the people who took the time to hop their fence, mowed their neighbors strip too.
are they too lazy? did they think their neighbors would miss their weeds? or have they set up boundaries?
i know, i know, it's only grass. but what if, people started taking initiative like b does with the trash cans, and looked for opportunities to create community everywhere. what would happen? what if we thought about everyone else and not just "our own."
i don't know, but i know it made me think today. and not think badly of the neighbors who didn't mow their neighbors lawn, but it made me think of how i'm creating community in my own life. am i showing Jesus to people even in the little things? i don't have to lead someone to Christ and have them repeat the sinners prayer......(i mean that's great and all, don't get me wrong) but there are so many other ways to show Him...to THEM.
what are my boundaries?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment