Through the peephole

Their music was loud.
Their bass was bumping.
The walls shook early in the morning and late at night.
Girls poured out of their door at the 1am gender curfew.

We watched through the peephole of our own door.
Standing from a distance, protected by a slab of wood, we caught a glimpse into their world; their strange, loud, state university-esque world.
We saw red Solo cups.
We saw multicolored strobe lights.
We saw darkness and bodies and nothing holy.

We, the girls next door, are holy.
We are upright, intentional, Bible believing/thumping/obeying women of the Lord.

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Roommates nestled together on the pavement with our feet in the hot tub we continued to watch from a distance. We wondered and daydreamed and waited for them to make themselves known.

And they did.
They were transfers from state schools. They had no intentions of being in discipleship house, a community committed to the love and ways of Christ. They were simply put into the apartment next to ours because there were empty beds that needed to be filled.

Confirmed.
They didn't belong. They weren't one of us. Of course they would behave in such ways of the world.

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The five of us, the women of the Word, sat in our living room snickering about the party animals on the other side of the wall. Then he knocked.

Hello, I'm your neighbor.
We are having a party tonight.
Would you like to come?
We're just going to have some people over for some worship.
We'd love to see you there.

The door closed and before he was out of earshot we erupted in laughter.
"Worship night". So that's what they called it.

We returned to our position in the peepholes, gathering images of darkness and bodies and strobe lights and girls arriving in herds. The music played and the photos on the walls rattled.
We had to witness it ourselves.
We had to judge righteously.
We had to show them what it meant to follow Christ.
We would be a witness at the party; a light among the darkness.

And so we crossed the porch that connected our units.

The image was distorted through the peephole.

A large crowd greeted us, shaking our hands.
I haven't met you yet.
What's your name?
Which room are you in?
How do you like it here?
Sorry it's dark - we've been using Christmas lights instead of an overhead.
Would you like some water? We have some red cups over there.

Then the music began.
A gentle strumming, praising the name of our Lord.

Then the prayer began.
Hopeful hearts and faithful tongues and inter-digitated hands.

Then the evening ended with a blessing.
A desire to live righteously.
A desire to love as Christ loved.
A desire to follow in the ways of our Lord.

And we, the women of God, crawled back to our apartment with our tails between our legs and stared at each other again.

What just happened?

And then the Lord erupted in laughter.
They had shown us what it meant to be Christ.
Next to snobby neighbors.
Next to girls who would not show their faces.
Next to laughter and sneers that could be heard through walls.

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. At one time we were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:1-5