Feb 16, 2009

It’s 2:30 in the afternoon and I am still in my pajamas and slippers. Amos Lee is crooning in the background, contributing to this contented ambiance. Feels down-right good to have nothing to do.

I spent the morning with my roommate Angeline, lounging on my bed with Bibles open, sipping coffee and discussing the meaning behind Jesus’ words in Matthew. I love my Canadian roomie and all her intricate and challenging questions about the Word. She has only been a believer for about three years, since she started attending Apostles, and the presence of Christ radiates through her. I only hope that we will have more moments like these. It is all too easy to become co-habitators in this small apartment, when we should be co-laborers, seeking the Lord together on how we can be using our position to reach others in our building, especially the one we live with.

I’ve lived with these girls for nearly two years now. I can’t believe it’s been that long; and I still have yet to replace the pushpins holding my curtains up, with a proper curtain rod, or to purchase a real bedside lamp. Maybe subconsciously I’ve held off from completely moving in for fear that I will have permanently made NYC my home. I still have a Texas driver’s license and Austin area code, for goodness sakes. I have my freak outs, where I wake up in the middle of the night, paralyzed with the thought that I may never live near my family again, or have a front yard with grass, or the option of literal peace and quiet- all luxuries that don’t exist in and Upper East side, where thousands of people live on top of each other. According to the world’s standards, I’m certifiably insane to be living below the poverty line, when I would be enjoying the benefits of a comfortable surplus in a spacious Austin apartment. I’ll admit, I feel sick when I hear how much I’m paying for my apartment per month, compared to anywhere else in the country. However, these freak outs have become few and far between, as I’ve come to consider “home” to be wherever Jesus is. He is in the City. He loves the City. So, I’ll be right here, following so close to Him that I’ve got His dust all over me.