Loving Our Neighbors

“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

I was recently driving behind a vehicle with a large sign covering their back window which said: Loving Our Neighbors.

I couldn’t help but think to myself what a huge responsibility it was that they laid on themselves. Every time they accidentally cut someone off in traffic, or fail to let someone merge when a lane is closed, or run a red light, I can already hear other driver’s say: Sure, is that loving your neighbor? Just another hypocrite.

Jesus put an even bigger requirement upon us. When Jesus talked about our neighbor, and it being the second most important biblical principle to follow right next to loving God, our Lord was telling us to love everyone, not just our next door neighbor or the folks across the street.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31

A few weeks ago my neighbor across the street moved out. I saw him one day driving a U-Haul and we waved at each other as we passed by. Over the years we would say a few words to each other when I was on the street getting into my car and he was outside. We would wave as we each took our trash out to the curb. And I remember when his son was younger and they would come by on Halloween for Trick-Or-Treat. Now that they are gone the street seems too quiet with their house being deserted. And it is strange to think about how little my neighbor and I knew about each other. 

We may not know much about our neighbors but Jesus thought enough of them that He made it the second most important commandment to love them. It may not always be easy to love our neighbors–or they to love us–but it is an important principle to practice and keep near our hearts.

Thankfully we don’t have to love anyone based upon our feeble and quickly changing emotions or circumstances, but we can do so through the Love that Christ has given and shown to us. For if Jesus can love us with our myriad of faults and foolishness, we can certainly carve out a bit of our heart with His help to love our neighbors.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for loving us when we are not so loveable, help us to show kindness and grace in loving our neighbors, not just those on our street, but throughout the world. Amen.