What Does It Mean?

I live on fairly nice little street in a smaller little dead end neighborhood.  You can't really drive through my neighborhood and get to another one.  All roads into my neighborhood start from the same road and lead out to the same road out.  The houses are modest, most lawns are well kept, and many have flowers in the yards, bird feeders among the landscape, swings on porches, patio furniture in the yard. 

What does it mean to live there?

It means I mow my lawn and weed the flower beds.  I trim the trees and rake the leaves.   It means I take in the mail and take the trash to the curb.  Empty bins are returned back to the house.  I repair the sidewalk and keep it clear. 

But what does it mean to live there?

I live among people, families, couples, children, and singles.  So I'm polite to my neighbors; I wave in passing, play my music low and observe the boundaries between our yards.  I've learned their names, returned the wrongly delivered mail. 

But what does it mean to live among them?

I'm a follower of the Forgiver who just happens to work at a church. 

So what does it mean to live there?  The same thing it means for every follower of the Forgiver.    It means that living there is more that mowing the lawn, being polite and learning names.  It means that living there is a part of my calling, my place of service, my purpose. 

It means that living there is a vital part of the advancing the kingdom.  It means I have a role to discover in the relationships of those around me, friendships to be develop, and lives to be shared.  It means I have a savior to be unveiled, a light to be lived out, love to be demonstrated, truth to be shown. 

What does it mean that you live where you live?

The same thing.

The Man in the Window