We Have More In Common

 And just like that. I drove down my street and saw my friends standing on the curb with all their belongings, distraught.

Evicted without notice. Things on the curb. The people came in at 4:30 am. No time to pack. Things in trash bags... 

So I helped. And we ended up all in my living room at the end of it hugging, talking about how the Lord takes care of us after eating chicken salad and chicken wings. 

I got a call a few days later from my friend telling me that they got a new place. It was bigger and nicer.

I drove by. I loved it. 

I reached out to my church asking for furniture donations for my friends' new place.

Within two weeks, a sofa and love-seat, dining room upholstered chair set, recliner, desk, dishes, and other decor was given. Not to mention a bed, a book case, a vacuum cleaner, a blender. The items kept coming and coming. And I kept finding myself day after day back on their porch, handing them items, saying, "My church ladies keep wanting to give y'all things."

It was an overwhelming experience to watch my friends get kicked to the curb, these good people with real struggles. That work so hard and have such good attitudes despite this hardship. Left there with no empathy from the men in pickup trucks, chunking their belongings into a pile, ignoring me as I bent down to help gather the things, and not making eye contact. I don't care what the situational details were, this is not how people should treat each other.

So now my friends have a new house, filled with things from a body of people who care. And these people pray. And they are present. It's so beautiful, and the love of God shines through. This connection between my friends and my church is so powerful. There are many disconnects in our society because of different factors that separate us. But when the gates are knocked down and the dividing lines erased, that's what the Kingdom of God looks like. That's how it felt when I stood in Haiti worshiping with people who live on an island and in that moment we were all the same. Or when I danced with the children in Africa and we felt euphoric and together. Or in Cambodia when the joy of the people around me transcended past any language barrier. We are all humans. We all have emotions. And I believe we have more in common than we realize. Getting to be a part of bringing that together as much as I can is what I love. I want my children to do it with me, and I want them to live that way. Then I want them to grow up to be adults who live that way. 

I'm thankful for a chance to have new friends who trust me enough to help, who don't realize how much they actually help me by letting me be in their lives and experience the joy that that brings.