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to be active in your city, your town, your community is to be the best local you can be. it gets even better! to be active is to be living out the Gospel in the places you and i call home.

i've lived in towns where you weren't considered a local until you had lived there 7 years. we never made that status! until recently, i had looked back on the locals there with bitterness who made me feel like an outcast. yet, if i had been active, i could have been the best outcast in town!

now i live in such a transient city where often the question is not, "how long have you lived here?" but "where did you move from?" don't get me wrong, all locals want to know how long you've lived in their community!

whether you've grown up in your town or are new to your city, whether you are a Christ follower and/or a proud citizen, being active causes us to give back. it causes us to be personally invested. we become the difference in our towns. and for us Christ followers, it's a requirement.

"love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22.39  

here's a little quiz to see how active you are. (circle all that apply)

what are you preparing your kids for?

a. college scholarship

b. sports team/dance tryouts

c. financial security

d. using their gifts for God's purposes

what does your family love doing together?

a. outdoors

b. sports

c. hosting parties, BBQs, events

d. traveling

how many units of neighbors on your street, your block, your floor do you know?

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

how would your neighbors/community describe you?

a. a busy person, always in a hurry, never at home

b. isolated, secluded, curtains closed

c. invested in family activities, outreach, giving back to community

d. they would say, "who's that?"

what does your calendar say about your involvement in the community?

a. my job/work is all consuming

b. my kids have too much going on

c. in this season of life, i'm too busy

d. my "active" role of giving back is on the calendar as a priority

why are you active now?

a. can't say no

b. feel obligated (everyone else is doing it, falls under this category)

c. guilted into it

d. it's clear God wants me doing this

how did you do?

do you qualify as a local? i'm still a work in progress, too. not all the answers above make you an unworthy citizen or unfit parent, but they might say something about how active you are. here's my point with each quiz question:

you and i should be about helping our kids right now at whatever age give back and serve using their gifts. while they still live under your roof is the best time for them to be discovering what they're gifts are.

anything you can do together as a family gives back to your city. it helps you establish roots where you live. it builds memories.

 get outside. knock on their door. be intentional. invite them over. bake them cookies. offer to cut their lawn.

as my husband says, we can't just be consumers of our city, we must be contributors. our calendar shows where our time goes. we make it about us or we make it about others.

no doubt we are all active. you really didn't have the 5 minutes to read this post! but there's a difference between being active for ourselves and being active for the good of others.

scavenger hunt

i've got something fun for you. don't quit on me now! you're one step closer to being active! click on the printables menu above or here. i've created a scavenger hunt for you and/or your family. print it out. make it a part of your small group or family time. it's fitting for the town with 6 traffic lights, the city covered in lights, and the community with one flashing light.

join me for active {take 2} for some practical ideas for you and your family & what the pilgreens are doing this spring to be active and become local!