The morning devotion I read a few days ago talked about how we should strive to be a blessing to our neighborhood, our town, and to the people who live around us. Even if we know that we are not going to put down long-term roots where we currently live, we should be good citizens and treat those around us with respect and friendship.
My former husband was in the military, so we moved several times during our marriage until he retired and we settled in Florida for good. Even so, I have moved six times just within this state since the first house he and I rented.
Knowing that your stay at an Air Force base, a neighborhood, or a town is temporary could make you not want to get too involved in the community. Should you get to know your neighbors, get involved in a church and civic organizations, invite coworkers over for dinner, join the local YMCA – you know, be neighborly – if you’re going to have to say goodbye and do it all over again in a couple of years? You don’t want to put down roots if you’ve just going to have them pulled up again about the time you’ve begun to blossom. Right?
In the book of Jeremiah, God tells the prophet to counsel His people, the Israelites, on how they should live when they are exiled to Babylon. God has allowed the Babylonians to overcome the nation of Israel because of their disobedience. They won’t be allowed to go back to their homeland for seventy years. But even though they are being punished, God doesn’t want them to live in despair or in contention with the people of Babylon. Jeremiah brings this advice from God to the people:
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 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 29:4-7)
So, what does this have to do with us 2600 years later?
I believe first and foremost it’s a reminder that everything in this life is temporary. And even more, a reminder that we are not in control. But rather than rebelling against our lack of control, rather than pushing back on our current circumstances, we should seek the good in our present situation. Seek out peace. Pray that those around us prosper. So that we will prosper as a whole.
But it’s not just a matter of looking for good things and praying for prosperity. We need to actively participate in creating prosperity. We should build a life for our family. Set an example for our children. Reach out and truly get to know the people around you. No matter how short your stay is in one place. I am blessed to still be in contact with friends I got to know in every single town and neighborhood I’ve lived in (15 different addresses so far in 66 years). Some who I may not have corresponded with in years reached out when I was at my lowest points and lifted me up.
Be a contributor to the community. Be a good neighbor. Be a forever friend. Be a blessing to others. Why? Because when we bless others, when we help others prosper, when we contribute to our community, we are much more likely to receive blessings in return.
And you never know when you’re gonna need a “bless you.”
Laura
A Light for My Path 
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