This month we have been looking at Jesus through the lens of a door. He is our door, our gateway, to the Father. It’s an inviting image – Jesus holding the door open, welcoming us inside with eagerness. This open-door policy that Jesus has is intimate. He is never too busy, unavailable, or uninterested. He doesn’t have dress code requirements or office hours for us. He desires to be with us.

That picture of Jesus, holding the door open, is the image that our communities need. After a year of isolation, anxiety, grief, and constant adjustments to daily life, our friends and neighbors are craving an open door. As Household Wells, we bring to them the invitation that Jesus offers. When we hold an “Open-Door Policy” in our homes, we give a glimpse of Jesus eagerly waiting with His open door.

Spring is here, and now is the perfect time to make a plan, as a Household Well, as to how you can offer that gift of availability and relationship to your neighborhood.

But what does that look like? Perhaps it means increasing your presence in your neighborhood through walks and sitting outside more. Perhaps it means noticing a neighbor doing yard work and offering to help. Or maybe it means finding a way to invite your neighbors into service with you. Whatever it is, the outcome is a stronger presence, and therefore sense of availability to those who live near you.

Here are a few ideas to spark your creativity and brainstorming:

• Friday Night Fire Pits: Move the firepit to the driveway, add extra chairs, and invite some neighbors to join you. If you pick a certain night to do this each week, your neighbors will notice the rhythm and perhaps be curious to join you.
• Invite your neighbors to join you to clean up a local park.
• Deliver May Day baskets to some homes on your block.
• Organize a neighborhood food drive (email me if you want some tips on this!).
• Do you have a lot of people walking/biking in your neighborhood? Leave out a cooler of water and invitation for others to help themselves.
• Remote working? Take your computer to your front porch/driveway. Be sure to say “Hi!” as neighbors pass by.
• Use sidewalk chalk to write messages of encouragement on sidewalks.
• When your kids go to the park, go with them and try to meet some other parents.
• Go outside. Read outside, work outside, walk, drink a cup of coffee, just make a plan to be outside of your home as often as you can. You’ll begin to notice more in your neighborhood, you’ll be available to meet new people, and your community will begin to recognize you.
• Pray as you walk your neighborhood. Ask God to give you insight into how you can be his hands and feet in your community. Pray for opportunities to build relationships.

What ideas are exciting to you? How is God nudging you to create an open-door policy for your home? Share your ideas with us in your Penzu journal, on our Facebook page, or by emailing me at [email protected].