It amazes me that a question asked over two thousand years ago is one I still wrestle with today:
“Who is my neighbor?”
It is human nature to want to draw a line around who
we are supposed to love
and who we can ignore.
But Jesus’s answer completely changed the way we are called to look at the people around us.
When I really sit down and pray about what it means to love my neighbor, I realize that my heart feels pulled in three different directions, and I would love to share them with you.
The Everyday Neighbor
Our neighbors are not just the people who live in the houses next door to us. They are the stressed-out cashiers at the grocery store, the coworkers who are quietly struggling, and the complete strangers we pass on the street every single day. Jesus calls us to open our eyes
to the people right in front of us.
The Story of the Good Samaritan
When Jesus was asked this question, He told a story about a man who was beaten and ignored. The religious and “important” people walked right past him. It was the unlikely outsider—the Samaritan—who actually stopped, got his hands dirty, and showed true mercy. Loving others means we have to be willing to stop when the rest of the world keeps walking.
The Challenge of Loving
If I am being honest, loving others is not always easy. It is messy. It requires our time, our patience, and stepping out of our own comfortable, safe little bubbles to help someone else. It is a daily challenge, but it is exactly what we are called to do.