Let Your (Christmas) Light(s) Shine

Magen (the nurse practitioner student) thought she’d bring a little bit of her Oklahoma roots to 30Cent this last weekend. She and another close friend of the house’s were craving a night of wine and appetizers in the outdoors, but didn’t want to pay the prices that come with those elements at Boston eateries. So we decided to recreate the restaurant patio vibe on our own front porch.

Apparently bringing the vino out to the front stoop is big in Oklahoma and a bit tacky, Magen says. I always wanted a porch growing up, so I was excited to set up shop on 30Cent’s, even if it was concrete and located about six feet away from our garbage cans. Magen cooked a fancy pizza with the spoils of our trip to Boston’s Haymarket---where virtually every produce item you can think of us costs $1. We also brought a fruit-and-cheese platter, a few bottles of wine, a bright blue quilt, and some Michael Buble tunes. Magen strung a set of Christmas lights across the metal front that separates our porch from the sidewalk. These impromptu decorations made our house stand out a bit from the rest, visually speaking. After all, it is July.

As the housemates snacked and enjoyed each other’s company, we had the opportunity to chat with the neighborhood dwellers that strode past the 30Cent Bistro (which will definitely become a house tradition). Later in the evening, a man who referred to himself at “The Boss” walked by us with an adorable boy on his shoulders, named Maximilian.

We offered Maximilian a brownie (my contribution to the Bistro menu), and chatted with The Boss. Out of the blue, he looked at the group and commented on how glad he was that we were all there in the neighborhood, and for each other. He encouraged us to keep each other strong. He said he had seen a lot in life, and that he thought we were going in the right direction. (I pray that none of this comes of as self-congratulatory. I wanted to portray this episode as candidly as possible, as we all felt that it was refreshing, unexpected, and completely due to God’s work and not our own).

Things at the house so far have felt relatively unsettled, due to the aforementioned construction, the roommates we are still waiting on to move in (get here already!), and the furnishings we are still scavenging for. In this period of getting the place together, I have often wondered if we have even had the opportunity yet to let God use us in the neighborhood. Sure, we can smile and say hello to the people we pass on the street, but does that really DO anything?

Well, apparently it does. I often overcomplicate what it means to do God’s work in a certain area or to show people that I am someone who follows Jesus. Those comments from The Boss made me realize sometimes it is just as simple as this:

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

I’m an optimist, but even my rose-colored glasses aren’t big enough to make me think that just a few smiles and warm hellos are enough to bring world peace. But in this case, those things were a start in connecting us with the people were are eager to build relationships with in the neighborhood. I pray that God can work through us in these small ways early on, and take us where He wants to go as our time in the neighborhood progresses. We just have to be open and willing.

Happy Friday everyone!