Bad day? Pastor says try ‘keeping it real’

When we moved to Maricopa two years ago, we knew it would be a challenge because it was a new city. All that it had to offer was the peace of mind and quietness that we could not get in a larger city.

Like a lot of things in life, moving poses challenges. But the challenge of change can be an easy transition or a frustrating struggle.

yet there is one thing that can make the challenges we face easy, and that is to keep it real.

That means keeping it real to the fact that the commute to work will be early and coming home will be slow. The grocery stores, with only two in the city, will be crowded and the lines possibly long.

Local jobs will be few, if any, and the train will slow us down and the wait would be daily. Yet, despite of all that, we came.

We came with a real sense of faith to meet every challenge regardless of how many or few, knowing the city that once was just a sleepy hollow had woken up. Now, despite all the negative things it faces, it will eventually grow up and live up to all the expectations that have been placed on it.

So, while we wait, let’s not forget the real reason we came here, and that it’s truly the people we have met who will keep us here.

Why? For me, its because they keep it real. They look beyond what we are not and focus on what we are becoming:

not just another neighborhood, but a community of diverse people who truly care and look out for each other.

So, the next time you’re in a long line or waiting for the train or walking in the cool of the day or talking to your neighbor, remember to keep it real. Think of all the good things that keep us here, knowing that it takes all of us to make a difference. And that difference is why we came to Maricopa.

Joseph L. Harris is pastor of Higher Ground Christian Fellowship in Maricopa.

Have an opinion you’d like to share with Maricopa? Please email it and any applicable photos to [email protected] for consideration. For more details, click here.