Love Thy Neighbor

Love Thy Neighbor

[The man said,] “Love your neighbor as yourself.” . . . The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:27, 29

How many neighbors—those who live on the same street or in the same apartment building—do you know by name? Unfortunately, I can’t name as many as I would like. I drive past houses every day, not knowing who lives inside and what their lives are like. Things are different in Amish communities.

When an Amish family lives along the same road as familiar family and friends, the word neighbor isn’t a vague term. The Amish attend church with their neighbors, and their children go to school together. If they don’t like the bishop, they can’t church hop. If they are at odds with their neighbors, they can’t just ignore them. Those people will show up in their lives again and again.

If they’re permitted to, gossip, grudges, and other conflicts can impact every part of an Amish person’s life. Maybe if this were the case with us, we’d do better at conflict resolution. Instead, we tend to ignore those we don’t get along with. We walk in the other direction. We don’t return their phone calls.

For those outside the Amish community, neighbor is a big word. Who are my neighbors? Are they people on my street? Those at work? Those in my town? This question is reminiscent of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, which makes it clear that anyone God puts in our path is our neighbor.

It is no coincidence that you live where you do or know the people you know. God’s grace is on display when you accept all those God brings into your life. Consider the community you’re a part of, and ask God to help you be neighborly in ways you never thought of before.

Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve ignored those You’ve brought across my path and focused instead on people who are easier to be with. Help me to find new ways to love my neighbors.