Stories of Light Pushing Through

We could use a little more togetherness, a little less dividing us. As the sun beats down on the world slowly reopening around us, we can see more clearly the walls in places that never should have gone up. We live in a fractured world—fractured through a separation, a division, between God and humans. It was not supposed to be this way. Where love was meant to grow, it’s stunted and impeded. But there are places the light pushes through, and these are life-lines connecting the world of broken to the Creator who will one day restore. Today I get the honor of sharing a few of these stories with you.

I hope that through these stories, you will be encouraged to see that though you are just one person, God can use you to touch the life of someone else right in your own backyard. Our lives have a ripple effect. And just as a small pebble can create a wide ripple, so can we start a ripple with a smile, a small gesture of kindness, a moment to take notice and value another.

My prayer is that together we can create a positive ripple in our neighborhoods and communities through noticing, listening, befriending, valuing, and serving our neighbors. May we see through God’s eyes, listen through His ears, and love through His extravagantly large heart.

Let’s begin with Carolyn Pereira’s story. I have Carolyn to thank for the idea to collect and share stories of neighbors loving neighbors well. Her inspiration is a gesture that may seem small to her neighbors but means so very much to her. From Carolyn:

My neighbor brings my kids their school lunches every single day. All the kids get lunch from the bus but it’s at the end of our lane, and it is hard for me to walk down there every day with all 6 of my kids (we also have a newborn). So they bring us our lunches…. It’s just so nice of them and I am so very grateful.

Sherry Rotan Harvie is a creative who is passionate about using art to unleash a revolution of kindness. She shares this:

My son and I made cards to bless people and hung them in a little park in front of our house. I’ve made alphabet slime and magnetic galaxy slime to give away to neighbor kids. With the slime there was symbolism that points back to Jesus.

I so encourage you to head over to Sherry’s page and read more about her Circles of Hope project and how you can join in creating these beautiful little cards to brighten the slice of world where you live.

This story, shared by Sally Johnson, beautifully highlights the difference it can make to someone else when we take the time to notice and listen well. Sally writes,

A while back, while in my front yard, my neighbor across the street took a break from her yard work and casually hollered, “Hey, Sally, how ya doin’?”  What happened next was one of the sweetest acts of neighborly love that I have ever experienced.

Being in the midst of one of the most taxing times in my life, my deeply buried grief needed a listening ear and Kathy’s “…how ya doin’?” beckoned me to bare a tad of my burden.  I cautiously began relating the complicated struggles I was having.  She listened!

She listened intently!

She didn’t condone or condemn, she simply listened!  When I needed to collect my thoughts, she patiently waited to listen some more!  She put her busyness on-hold to listen!  Before leaving, she assured me she’d hold tightly to all that I’d told her.  She smiled and crossed back to her yard.  “I’m right across the street, if you need me!”  I knew she meant it.  I knew that I could count on her to listen again!

Gratefully, her compassionate listening lightened my troublesome load and I knew that the Lord had given me a precious blessing — a caring, listening neighbor.

The next story is precious because no matter our age, no matter how different we may be from our neighbors, valuing others tears down walls and touches souls. This is “I See You,” by Angela Olinghouse:

Feeling down and out and sick of looking at my hunter green living room walls, I stumbled out to gather my mail. I walked very slowly, head down, feeling defeated. Upon opening the box, I noticed this pink and white small little card without an accompanying envelope. My heart skipped a beat as I realized this was a Valentine’s Day card!  Wow, it was the middle of May and I have a Valentine’s card!  I will admit I felt a little like Charlie Brown may feel should he ever receive such a precious gift!  

It turns out, this sweet little girl who lives in my neighborhood wanted to do something special for those around her so they wouldn’t feel lonely. She is only 8-9 years old. She had written on it “Friend stay safe.” How sweet and thoughtful!  I was reminded that even at our lowest moments, we can be reminded of God’s love even if it comes from a little girl with a big heart!  God sees me and he sees you too!

Sometimes fences are figurative, but sometimes, like in this next story, they are literal fences. What a stunning picture of community this story from a rural home depicts. Here is Casey Hilty’s story:

We moved into a new house during the second week of quarantine. We were looking forward to meeting our new neighbors, but social distancing, rural living, and a hideous 9-foot privacy fence has made that challenging. The fence spanned the length of our nearly two-acre plots. One day, however, our dogs escaped from our yard into our neighbor’s. His dog happily greeted them, then they all ran back into our yard. Our new neighbor, an older gentleman, made his way around the fence to look for “Beau.” He was just as excited to meet me as I was him, grateful that our dogs were already fast friends. After talking for a while, he said, “Would y’all be ok if we took down this fence? We want to be friendly neighbors and it would give you a much better view when you sit on your front or back porch.” I was elated and the next day he set out to work. The view is beautiful! He also comes over every few days to deliver fresh produce from his garden and even set aside some deer meat for us. We already feel at home here.

This next story is full of countryside charm and long-searched for community. I love that no matter where we are planted, we can grow community and love those around us generously. I hope you, as I am, are inspired by Katie Cummins’ story. She writes,

Some days you wish for front porch swings, fire pit talks, and flowers on your doorstep. After years of searching for such a neighborhood, we are home. It’s like stepping back in time to when neighbors looked out for one another and shared each other’s burdens. Whether it’s celebrating the new year together, watching over the children for a tired mama next door, or praying for the one fighting cancer, we stand beside each other with a helping hand. During the quarantine this year, we have realized even more the importance of being intentional with our time. The front doors are wide open, the marshmallows are roasting, and the wildflower bouquets smell sweet. Seven homes reside in our charming, countryside neighborhood where we choose to love each other as family.

 Our final story today is shared by Rachel Schelb, who is a role model and inspiration to me in Biblical hospitality. Her weekly, 5-minute podcast is always full of amazing tips on ways to truly love those around us. Here are Rachel’s words:

When we moved into our neighborhood 3 years ago, we were the first house on our street. The neighborhood is further away from our church, the school my son attends, and our friends than we planned. However, God placed us here and we are thrilled! As homes were being built, I would prayer walk praying for our neighbors to come and ask God for opportunities to get to know them. I keep a note on my phone with the names of the neighbors I meet as well as their address. It’s a small step towards being intentional. Through these baby steps, we’ve become friends with several neighbors! We’ve gotten to pray with and support Bobby as he grieved the loss of his wife. We’ve received amazing Filipino food from Bobby and a precious gift from his daughter, Andrea, this past Christmas. Another neighbor, Kristina, has become a close friend and our kids are close friends. My husband and I have watched them accept Jesus as their Savior, and prayed with and for them through marriage struggles. My husband baptized them a few months ago. Individually these are small ways of loving well. Combined, it’s community.

I’d love to take a pause here to say thank again to all the writers for sharing your stories. Thank you for giving us all a peek into your lives–into some ways the light is pushing through into your neighborhoods. Thank you for the inspiration to be light-bearing ripple-starters right where we live too.

As we close, I’ll share one final encouragement with you. Transformation begins small. The words often credited to Ghandi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” continue to inspire today. I once handwrote this quote inside the cover of journals I gave to my freshmen English class because during these highly formative years, I wanted my students to believe that their lives mattered, that their small, everyday decisions carried weight. Today, I want you to know that—believe that—too.

Where you can you begin a positive ripple effect in your own neighborhood and community? I encourage you to simply ask God to lead you, then respond to His asks, even if they feel small to you.

Let’s pray.

Oh Jesus, we know that You are no stranger to heartache and pain and that each and every life is unfathomably precious to You. Would You lead us to ways we can better love, value, and listen to those around us? With Your Spirit empowering us, please help us to be agents of positive change that ripples out into our neighborhoods and communities. In Your holy and precious name we pray, Lord, amen.

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P.S. Did you know that The Uncommon Normal is also available as a podcast? Tune in to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen!