Dumplings For Dinner

Dumplings for Dinner

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

We stumbled onto Thursday Night Dinner Buddies quite by accident. It was while I was volunteering at an after-school activity that one of the visiting Chinese scholars from our school’s immersion program kindly insisted on coming to our house that night to make my family dumplings as a way to share her culture. I graciously accepted her offer and then rushed home, calling my husband to rearrange schedules and obligations so that we could make space for her friendship.

Over good conversation, laughter, and a shared meal, we realized that our friend had never eaten steak fresh off the grill or so many other meals that are considered typical American fare. What started as my husband and me quietly and quickly making space for this person in our house one Thursday night has turned into a weekly coming together of cultures. We take turns sharing new foods, and we find our conversations wide-ranging and engaging.

These Thursday nights have become the new normal in our house, and I suspect they have become a new way of life altogether. Knowing that our doors will be thrown open every Thursday night eliminates the stress and anxiety of trying to plan one-off events. We know what to expect, and we invite our friend and her son to do life together with us.

In order to be that city on the hill or the light on a stand instead of under a basket, we have to throw open our doors and our lives and invite others to journey alongside us. When you trust God enough to open your life to people he brings across your path, you can know that he is trustworthy enough to guide the conversation, eventually, back to him.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Prayerfully consider how you might throw open your doors and your life to others. You can start by inviting someone to your home for a low-stress dinner.