Day Ninety-Two

YOUR CITY

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

—JEREMIAH 29:7 NIV

God has placed you in your city for a purpose. Even if you wish you lived somewhere else right now, even if you’re on a military base just for a season, even if you have bigger dreams. So what does it look like to love the city you’re in?

Why is here your spot on the map? Why have you chosen that town, of all the towns in the world, to be your home? Maybe you didn’t pick it. Maybe it picked you. But you are there.

When you think about the puzzle of the person you are, the zip code on your mailing address is an important piece.

As a high school senior, I stood in the middle of the town square in Ciudad Cortes, Costa Rica, and shared the gospel through an interpreter, and yet one of my best friends from my high school in Georgia was not a believer, and I didn’t even talk to him about Jesus.

Why does it sometimes take more courage to talk about Jesus at home? Why am I more willing to sign up for a mission trip to Mexico than to serve the homeless in downtown Nashville?

Because being brave at home means serving.

When my small group of college students celebrated our one-year anniversary, we decided to serve.

We arrived in downtown Nashville and made our way to a large overpass where many people were gathered under the bridge. A worship band was playing, using one of those sound systems that kinda hurts my ears—like a traveling preacher from the 1980s would use. Homeless people sat in rows and rows of chairs, each with a plate of food on their lap as volunteers wove in and out and helped everyone get settled.

What does it look like to love the city you’re in?

It happens every Tuesday night in our town. The Bridge’s outreach ministry feeds homeless men, women, and children a huge and healthy meal, and then someone shares the story of how God has changed his or her life. As the people leave, they fill bags with fresh produce donated by local grocery stores.

My small group and I had never gone before, but our church goes once a month on Tuesday nights, so we knew it was a respected ministry to be involved with.

The girls were nervous and hovered close to me like chicks to a hen for the first few minutes. But then they just got in line with the other volunteers and started to serve. Carrying food. Helping others find a seat. Passing out fruits, veggies, or huge bags of bread at the end of the night. We were there for a few hours, but the experience stuck with all of us much longer.

It takes courage to serve in new places just down the street. I was so proud of my girls jumping right in and being part of an experience where they didn’t know was going to happen.

You can be brave right here. Right in your city.

BE BRAVE: Volunteer in your city. Serve the place where you live in some way.