When I first heard that my husband and I would be moving to Boston, I thought someone might as well ask me to move to Mars. It wasn't that we lived that far away from the city geographically, but the mental distance from the suburbs to a large city seemed huge. I thought about all the usual things—what kind of community would we live in, would it be safe, would the neighbors be friendly, would we be able to contribute in some way? My husband, our children, and I had all been active as volunteers in our community, and I didn't want to lose that opportunity to make a difference.
As I often do when I'm faced with uncertainties, I began to pray. First, I realized that instead of feeling I was going into an unknown place that could be hostile, I could actually start loving my neighbors now. Since I love the Bible, I knew that Jesus met strangers of all types and with all kinds of motives. And his example was my guide. I decided I would pray daily, for as long as it took, to understand that all of us are united in God's love, no matter what our religious beliefs may be. I realized that while my new community was known for its diversity of cultures, this variety could be expressed in positive ways. There didn't have to be conflict or suspicion. As we opened our hearts to our new neighbors, we could expect them to be open to us—and I began to open my heart right then.
Not long After I began to pray in this way, we moved into our new neighborhood. Our housing was just perfect for our needs, and our neighbors had the open hearts and minds that I had been praying for.
