Do you like to move? I don't, please allow me a minute to release my inner old man cranky. I hate moving. I can't stand it. So much time, effort and packing...it's awful.
Even if we are moving into the "dream" house (which I am pretty sure doesn't exist but it will definitely come with a nightmare mortgage). It is hard to get excited. Moving other people is a little better, but not much. At least you get to leave after the boxes are inside!
Thanks for letting me vent...I have moved one daughter this month and am moving the other one at the end of month. I love them more than anything but still not a big fan of moving day.
There is one moving day I do like. It is moving your neighbors! No not getting rid of the guy with the loud truck or the strange neighbors who only come out at night. I actually have both of these as neighbors. I am talking about moving the relationship.
It is a great thing when you move your neighbor from the outer circle of your life, the "hey I know that guy" level to real friend. Your neighbor could be someone you work with, the family next door, or the guy on your softball team but moving from acquaintance to friend is a good thing.
I want to share with you 4 ways you can have your own moving day. Spoiler alert, I stole these from a book I read called BLESS by Dave Ferguson. If you are a part of Mt Ridge church you will see this again in the fall as we launch out to love our neighbors well....it is going to be great! You can read along if you want Order BLESS
So moving your neighbors from your outer circle to your friend circle is straight forward.
Pray for them. Jesus said to pray for you enemies. Wow the least I could do is pray for my neighbors and the people I know! It is surprising how praying for someone changes you. You are asking God to bless them, to help them and you find God making your heart softer, even burdened for them along the way.
Want to go to the next level? Pray for God to save them, to show them who Jesus is and what He offers them. Ask God to unexplainably, miraculously flood them with grace and forgiveness. Be ready to hold on, God will do some stuff!
Listen to them. So many people are lonely, we were before Covid, maybe even more now. When you listen to someone...not the facts or opinions coming out of their mouth, but listen to the person behind what you are you hearing, you are giving an increasingly rare gift.
You find out so much by giving them space to talk. Since you are keying in on what they are saying and not worrying about what you are going to say you will get to know them quickly. They won't be the random girl you recognize but someone you know.
Bonus tip...listening to them will also help you understand how to pray for them. Cool how these work off of each other!
Eat with them. This is my favorite. Fire up the grill, order a pizza or cook your signature dish and invite them to eat it with you. There is something almost indescribable about eating with someone. It removes barriers, changes the relationship and invites a comfortability like nothing else. Think about it, you NEVER eat with people you don't like unless you have no choice (like Thanksgiving...just kidding!!!!).
When you freely choose to invite someone and eat with them, it sends a powerful message. I know some are still skittish because of the virus but you can work around it. Eat outside on the patio, eat take out in the driveway or go to a restaurant. It can be done.
Serve them. In some ways the act of listening and eating together is serving them. This is one step further. Do you notice they have a big yard project going on? Help out. Are they drowning at work, maybe take something off their plate.
Here is where listening and eating together pays off double. Sooner or later they will share something in their world that is not right. Help them with that, even if you can't fix it you can do something to either help them move forward or express care. You may even simply invite them to your church.
It could go something like this, Neighbor: "I am not sure about my son he is struggling in school". You: "You might want to come to my church, we have several families at church that are working through the same kinds of struggles" Boom.
I don't like moving but I love moving my neighbors. Check out a recent message on your outer circle. Turns our your words matter a lot in how ready people are to move around your circle.
Do you have any idea how isolated and lonely people feel right now. I can almost guarantee there are several "yeah I know her" people in your life that wouldn't mind moving. Going from your outer circle to being a friend is a fantastic move and it is easier than you think.
This is exactly what Jesus did for me and why I am always trying to find ways to move people in my life. He brought in, changed the relationship and it changed me. He will do it for all the "yeah I know him" people in my life as well.
So with that, Who is ready for moving day?
Is this helpful? Do you know someone who would like some help in creating friendships? Do me a favor and share this on your social media accounts. You can click the buttons below and encourage your friends and neighbors!
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