Playing In God's Smile

"Let's do cartwheels all the way down the middle of the street!" I turned and three girls had begun their gymnastic mini-parade. When I had asked one of the kids if he wanted to help me set up the yellow barricades the police provided to close our block, I was soon followed by the whole gang, complete with the blonde four-year-old boy asking in his hoarse little voice, "What's going on guys?"

Soon chalk rubbed colorfully on the black pavement (and even on young faces). Taylor Swift echoed from my car radio. An overt skirmish between two neighbors about the limited road access was quickly extinguished. Whimsical yard games intertwined in non-competitive joy. We smacked home runs out of a dented wiffle ball over chalk bases. We shot basketballs into an empty trashcan hoop. We threw frisbees over sitting heads and around parked cars. We got ketchup on the ground after a big bite into a hot dog. Ice cream, donated by a local shop, melted
down our cones and between our sticky fingers. It was the day for extra sprinkles and double scoops, even for grandmas. The sun was bright and warm like a smile from God.

When we met as a neighborhood a number of weeks ago, we began talking about things that could be changed on the block. The conversation veered when defenses went up over the appearance of someone's front yard. "You don't have a pass. If you get a pass, then the whole neighborhood gets a pass. We've got to clean this place up," said one of the more outspoken leaders. Technically she's right. Our neighbors should do a better job at keeping their yards tidy. But as I've been praying about this neighborhood, a scripture has come to mind.

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

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So instead of forming HOA guidelines, we planned a block party to begin the long process of relationship building. I pray that as we "walk in the light," God will bring his kingdom and change our neighborhood from the inside out. For now we're putting yard maintenance further down the list.

In fact, some lawns had not been mowed since the snow melted. But when the announcement came out that we were having a block party, a few neighbors hired Andy (who deals drugs to neighborhood kids) to mow their lawns. As we come out into the light and see one another, we feel seen. Something in us wants to change. I think it's the Spirit of God at work. Sure enough, Andy was there yesterday, greeting all the neighbors with a gaping smile and withered face. Toward the end of the party, his girlfriend brought Rachel and me beautiful tall flowers to welcome us to the neighborhood. And that's the beauty of it. A drug dealer, an autistic child, a pregnant woman, a fragile little girl, two elderly women, sunburned young adults, a teacher, factory workers, cousins, brothers, families and neighbors who had never met played together under the smile of God.

*This is my favorite picture: a dad pushes his son on a bike while their neighbor runs alongside. For the son, it's his first time on a bike. You should have seen the look on his face - utter terror! He took some spills, but he got right back up to try again. For the father, he's taking the posture of an encourager and teacher. Most in this neighborhood know this father for the many visits he gets from the local police. But here, he is displaying love and responsibility. For the girl, she is seven years old with a very rare disease that makes her very fragile, stunts her development, and causes her to break out in hives from any minor prick. Yet here she is, running with joy to cheer on her friend. Essentially, each person in this photo is in a moment of greatness.