We just moved. It was the hardest move of my life. And I’ve moved a lot. Nine times since I graduated from college 9 years ago to be exact.

This time we asked for help. And people came out of the woodworks. I called them the moving angels. There were people everywhere. It was such a gift.

I got the idea from an old lady who moved into our old place. “It was my church family,” she said. And as I experienced my own move, I realized … that’s what being a church is all about. Helping others. And each other.

And the help didn’t stop with our one move-in day. People have come to help us paint. To help us decorate. To help us make our new place “home.” And every time someone comes to offer help, I feel a little more grateful for the people God has placed in my life.

We talk a lot about helping the poor and feeding the hungry. It’s so clear that God calls us to do just that. But I often forget the neighbors right next door. The ones that seem to have it all together. The ones who have food on their table, clothes to wear, and shelter to keep them warm. But sometimes, those very people are the ones that find themselves in need with no one to pitch in.

True community is so hard to find. We live in a “hands-off” world. We want problems solved quickly – and quietly. We don’t really want to know what other people are going through. To sit and really listen to them may take up more time than we have free in our busy schedules.

We may be inconvenienced by their stories. Uncomfortable by knowing where they’ve been and what they’ve done. But just as God calls us to care for the poor and feed the hungry, he also calls us to love our neighbors. All of them.

My moving angels … they showed me a new glimpse of God. A God that truly works in all scenarios. A God that helps not only the poor and hungry, but also the overwhelmed and lonely. We have been blessed beyond comprehension. And because of it, we’ve been changed.

How have you seen God lately? Have any angel stories of your own to share?