Recently, it has been small things that have brought me the most joy. Little moments of change that smile and say, “Something good is happening right now”. Eric and I had one of those today.
But first, the context: When we moved into Oakland City in May of 2007 there was a certain brick house down the street filled with particularly intimidating people. I remember one of my early (and last) walks through the neighborhood being told sternly by older men to “Mind my own business”. Since then every time I drive past the house it feels like suspicious, disapproving eyes are watching me. To be fair, Oakland City has some racial baggage because 40-50 years ago white families started moving out because black families were moving in. So while I couldn’t blame these neighbors for their hostility and suspicion, it didn’t feel good.
Recently Eric and I have gotten to know two young brothers, Vernon & Kevian. They are friends of DeAngelo who brought them over to check out the game room and new backyard clubhouse. Vernon & Kevian really like our house, and one day Eric and I pulled up in the driveway to meet Vernon who promptly informed us he had been over seven times that day wanting to hang out with Eric. Vernon is a very smart eight year old who wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Eric and I have grown really fond of these boys.
Sure enough, Vernon came by this morning wanting to hang out. Kevian eventually came too, and they spent a while reading a Batman graphic novel and playing air-hockey. When it was time for them to leave Eric said, “Hey, we’ll come with you. We want to meet your parents”. One thing we’ve learned is that building a relationship with the parents of kids early on really helps the overall relationship with the families. So Eric and I set off down the street.
It didn’t take long to realize that we were heading towards that brick house. I must be honest, a wave of nervousness swept through me. God in his graciousness has brought me a long way in terms of fear. So far that I rarely feel worried or anxious in our neighborhood these days. Fear is an unfamiliar feeling, and I noticed it right away as it crept into my heart. But, we kept walking.
As soon as we reached the driveway, a tall man in a red bandana came bounding out of the house towards us. Gulp. Here we go…
He quickly explained that there are a lot of break-ins happening in the neighborhood these days, but that he was watching out for us. He said that whenever anyone talks about messing with our property he intervenes and doesn’t allow anything to happen. He told us that he has heard what we’re doing in the neighborhood, and he’s not going to let anyone touch our house. When I got over my initial shock I said, “Well, you’re doing a great job because we haven’t had any trouble in a long time.” He beamed and told us he was also the black Elvis and proceeded to give us a sample of his singing talents, which were actually quite good.
Just then Vernon & Kevian’s father, Kevin, came out to meet us. He was extremely warm and knew all about us from Vernon. We talked for about fifteen minutes about everything from the neighborhood (his family has lived in the brick house since the 70′s), his twelve children, eye glasses, going vegetarian, and Kevian’s upcoming birthday (August 13th) that we are invited to.
As Eric and I walked home, Vernon rode his bike alongside us chatting about all kinds of things… but I didn’t hear any of it. I just kept marveling at the wild ways of God and His ability to do anything. In any circumstance it feels good for someone to have your back. In this circumstance, it feels like a little glimpse of what God’s Kingdom is supposed to be.
