It’s hard to believe, but in a couple of years, my husband and I will have lived in our home for 40 years! Would you believe me if I told you this actually wasn’t the house we wanted, but that, through circumstances beyond our control, this was the house we “ended up in”?The house we wanted was the same build and model as our current house, BUT we wanted more of a neighborhood feel for our growing family, which the other house had. The house we bought was located behind factories with just a neighborhood circle. You know what they say, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Well, this address was not the location we had in mind… A few years later, however, I would find out exactly why the home we wanted was blocked, and we were led to this home instead…
The Israelites knew what it was like to have their homes chosen for them. “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders. Numbers 34:1-2 The Lord established their borders in great detail right down to landmarks…
The Lord establishes our borders to serve an ultimate Kingdom purpose. Whether Old Testament Israelites or 21st-century believers, our homes are more than an address. God not only has a plan for us, but also for the people around us.
I want to take you on a brief journey where the Lord showed me my home was not just any old address, but that God had a plan for our family and for the people who live around us. I hope this encourages you to ponder where the Lord established your borders and how He might have already used you, is using you, or could use you for His purposes.
Seeing Your Neighborhood as Part of God’s Greater Story
“From one man he made all the nations… and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Acts 17:26-27
Once we moved into our home, I actually grew to love it! Although you have to drive through factories to get to the neighborhood, our house is at the back of the circle and borders beautiful fields. When we first moved in, there were horses. Over the years, there have been cows, pheasants, turkeys, coyotes, foxes, and herds of deer. In those first few years, I found it very centering to come home from a long day of work and stand at my back slider looking out at nature.
We started meeting our neighbors, most of whom were young growing families just like our own. Not only that, a lot of them were transplants from other states, just like us.
Before I even knew the Lord, He had already been blessing me with the desires of my heart by establishing me in this neighborhood. But God… Through the testimony of two separate neighbors, I eventually came to know the Lord.
In the following months, I shared what I was learning with my agnostic husband, and through the prayers of Christian friends, he eventually came to know the Lord, ultimately went to seminary, and became a Pastor!
You see, it wasn’t the builder or the realtor who blocked my husband and me from buying the house we thought we wanted; it was the ultimate Architect and Builder of our lives who assigned this address as our home so that we would be used for His kingdom purposes.
You are no different. God has a plan for you at your very address. Maybe yours wasn’t a come-to-Jesus experience, BUT many other circumstances have played out or are playing out in your life that show you God’s greater story within your neighborhood. Take time to ponder that and lean in.
Why Where You Live Matters More Than You Think
“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others.” Matthew 5:14-16
Living in the northeast, you don’t typically find a lot of Christians in your neighborhood. God blessed us with two neighbors who were. The rest, not so much. But that’s where the opportunity lies…
Over the years, we have had opportunities to witness to several neighbors by answering their questions and/or directly sharing the Gospel. I even had a random college girl show up at my door selling aerial photos of the neighborhood, whom I then shared the Gospel with when I invited her in due to a “sudden” thunderstorm. You and I know there was nothing random or sudden about it. God placed that young woman in my neighborhood and at my door for such a time as that.
I hosted a neighborhood Bible club for the children. Surprisingly, we had a really good turnout. Surprising to us… Not to the Lord.
Once our children were grown, we didn’t have as much contact with the neighbors as we were all either working or busy with other things. Yet that didn’t change their knowledge about us. We had built a Christ-like foundation in our neighborhood. They knew my husband was a Pastor, and they saw us leave for church every Sunday. Through our actions and kindness, even if it was just in passing, we were still showing
the light of Christ. It was obvious from how we were treated that they saw us as different and respected us. They saw us emulating the love of Christ.
The neighborhoods we live in are not just happenstance. God chose the people who are around you to be part of His perfect plan with you as the messenger. Whether it be sharing the Gospel openly or the light you bring to all that you do, you were placed on a mission field explicitly chosen for you as a missionary.
Understanding God’s Purpose for You and Your Neighbors
“Love the Lord your God… Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30-31
I want to say it was a bed of roses in our neighborhood over the years, but it wasn’t. As in any other neighborhood, tensions can arise, especially when children are involved…
I had a very active son who always got “caught holding the bag,” even if it wasn’t his fault. Now I’m not saying he was perfect, but there were times he got a bad rap. So much so that the other parent wouldn't allow their kids to play with him, as you can imagine, that raised the momma bear in me, especially when I heard them complaining about my son right outside my bedroom window.
That same neighbor, as a result of my son, actually put a border of large arborvitae bushes along the side border of our house, which still stands there today. It’s a great reminder of how far we have come…
Thankfully, apologies were later made. I could’ve easily held a grudge, but I didn’t. They still remain our closest neighbors, as we have been together from the beginning of the neighborhood. I grieved with their family when her husband died, all the memories flooding back of our kids playing together. Now her grandchildren and my grandchildren play together when we both have them at our homes.
I could’ve allowed that obvious border of arborvitae to cause bitterness to take root in me and become just as ugly as those bushes are now, with how big and unruly they are, but I didn’t. I showed them love and grace as I would hope to receive under the same circumstances.
Remember, you may be the only Bible your neighbors read. Whether tensions rise with a neighbor or how you behave in general toward them, think about how you conduct yourself and whether you are loving your neighbor as yourself. In the end, you will be blessed.
Father, thank you for establishing our borders not only for our delight, but as part of your plan. May we serve you in our neighborhoods for your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Have you seen God’s greater story behind your neighborhood yet? How can you be a missionary in your own neighborhood?
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Daniel de la Hoz
