neighbor

This is a tribute to a very special street full of very special people…

We are told to love our neighbors. This can mean anyone who has a need, but it also means those in our actual neighborhood.

The street I live on is like no other. Currently, our church is doing a series on how to invest in our neighbors and being intentional in developing relationships with them. Our small group did an exercise to see how many neighbors we knew by name, other than, “dog-walker guy”. I won. I could name the adults and the children. Only 2 houses on our entire street did I not know, but one of those I could still name the kids.

We have a party for Halloween. A party for Christmas. And of course a party for Cinco de Mayo. On any random night, there are ladies sitting out on their porches drinking wine. My neighbor has been a life-saver for me on more than one occasion. If someone is sick, there’s a sign-up for meals. If someone has a loss in the family, we pitch in with cutting the grass.

This is a tight-knit community we stumbled upon a year and a half ago. And now it is even tighter. How many people tell their neighbors, “I appreciate you, and I love you.” I have. And I mean it. Tragedy has a way of doing that. Yes, a very tragic thing has happened.

One of our families is gone. Literally, the entire family is gone. The dad, the mom, the 10-year-old daughter, and the 8-year-old son all killed in a car accident. There is a void in our little community. Their truck sits there in the driveway teasing us that this is all a bad dream and they will be home later this evening.

This father and son are the ones who came over to introduce themselves when we were looking at the house. The son and my boys spent the rest of the time playing soccer in our not-yet yard. The boy was barefoot. He was always, always barefoot. We had not even put an offer on the house yet, and already we felt connected.

This son is who my son had his first fight with. They never held that against one another. They knew where the other one stood. And they forgave. And they forgot. Amidst all the laughing, trampoline jumping, Nerf-gun battling, fort building…they forgot their grievances, and just enjoyed one another. They were…friends.

I never got to know the parents or the daughter well. It was the little boy who stole the show with my boys, and on our street. He was a daily part of our lives. So much so that every night my 3-year-old prays for him and his mom and dad. She still does. I told her he doesn’t live there anymore. She asked where he lives now. I told her, “heaven”.

Continually my thoughts go to how merciful it was that they all went together. Those parents were totally devoted to their kids. Even to the point of building a Ninja Warrior course for his birthday, only to take it down the next week. Gotta be honest, there is no way I would do that. If either of the parents had survived without their children, I don’t think they could have borne it. Yes, merciful indeed.

Love your neighbors…

The timing of our church pressing the importance of community could not be any more appropriate.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 12: 30-31, NLT

A lot of us hide behind the excuse that all of the world is our neighbor. We would rather donate to a child in Ethiopia than give to our neighbor’s Cub Scout Troupe. We’ll donate to a soup kitchen but won’t take a meal when our neighbor’s mother has passed away.

“And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:29, NIV

And this isn’t wrong! Everyone can be our neighbor. I’ve heard this passage about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) explains that our “neighbor” is anyone who has a need. But what if we truly did invest in the lives of our actual neighbors?

Previously, I have felt reluctance to get close with neighbors because what if they see my crazy, and decide that we are “those” neighbors. But what if we can live out the crazy, being honest, and show them that Christ loves us, and them, despite the crazy?

Perhaps sharing life with our neighbors not only means we can extend love, but also perhaps we can receive love. I guarantee my neighbor can hear me when I blow my lid. How humbling, and freeing, that she still wants to be around me. To have my crazy exposed, and still be accepted? Hmm, that kinda sounds like grace.

It is because of this grace, this love in-spite of crazy, that I know I will always make space in my life for my neighbor. And room in my heart for a little, soccer-playing, barefoot boy. I hope you will do the same.

Loving our neighbor is more than loving the people directly next to us. It is loving all those whom God has created and has compassion for.

The dark was so encompassing on the cloudy night. It crept right up next to the young girl as she held tightly to her mother’s hand. They stumbled through the night desperately trying to keep up with the group that they prayed would lead them to freedom.

They were leaving behind a life of slavery and injustice. For over a year her mom had socked away a few coins from every odd job she could find. Her father had run ahead of them a few years before and had sent word that they should try and come. He had found a job, found a little house that he was sharing with some others who had escaped, and he missed them terribly. So a few weeks ago the little girl’s mom had given every penny she had saved to a group of men who promised to take them to freedom. And now here they were in the darkness, running across the rocky uneven terrain, stumbling, slipping, and praying for freedom.

The Darkness

That’s when the little girls life was turned upside down. The men who were “helping them” told her mother it was the little girl’s turn to help the men get more energy. The little girl was four years old. Mom screamed for her to run and then told the men she was happy to take on that responsibility, if they just let her girl go on her way. The little girl ran, hid behind a big rock and watched while a group of men did unspeakable things to her mother. They left her mother lying in the dirt. Torn and bloodied.

Even though there were many people in their group, no one spoke up. They turned their backs, covered their children’s eyes, and when it was over, kept walking through the darkness, leaving the little girl and her mother behind.

As day broke the mother moaned, got to her feet, took her daughter’s hand and kept walking. Now with no water, no clear sense of direction, and a broken spirit. They encountered another group later in the day. But were turned away because they couldn’t pay. One lady gave the little girl some water and a slice of bread though, and that kept them going for two days. That’s when they made it to the mighty river.

A Neighbor’s Help

The little girl’s mom told her that crossing the river was going to be tough, but after they crossed, freedom was on the other side. She took all their clothes, made a rope out of them and struggled across. Naked, broken, tired they trudged into the raging water. Barely half way across the little girl got dragged under. The mother, with her last burst of energy, yanked the rope to pull her daughter up.

From the other side a young man saw the two struggle. As fast as he could he ran down to the bank to help. He dragged the two out of the river. They didn’t speak the same language and couldn’t understand each other. The little girl was trying to cover her mother afraid of what another man would do to her. Thankfully this man was truly a helper. He wrapped the mom in his shirt and took them to his house, fixed them up as best he could without taking them to a doctor.

The Light of Neighbors

This was a story told to me by a fourth grader almost 15 years ago about how she and her mother came to our country. They lived in a little shack not far from the school and I had the pleasure of going to visit them several times. They were always so welcoming and kept their home open to anyone, any neighbor, who needed a meal. Can you imagine? Going through such horror and still opening your home to feed others. And let me tell you those tamales were the best I have ever had. The love in them was so evident.

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus replied: ‘Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets and on these two commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40, NIV

Neighbors are Good Samaritans

Jesus made it very clear that loving God is most important, but loving our neighbor is also important. In the story of the Good Samaritan, He reveals God’s definition of neighbor as not just someone who lives next door, or someone who has the same faith, or language as you.

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

^‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’

Luke 10:30-36, NIV

God’s Call to Our Hearts

In a world that is turned topsy turvy about who our neighbor is, let God clear your eyes and heart. We are all neighbors in His eyes. While we may have to live within man’s rules and laws, God’s law comes first.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV

Dear God,

Please help us be the hands and feet of Your church. Let love be our guiding light. Thank you for showing me stories of people who have lived through life’s worst fears and come through with Your love and grace shining through them. Your word has been an anchor in my life and shown me the way, even when the world around is so loud and confusing. Thank you for the map and light in the darkness. Please help those in crisis and help us all be more like the Samaritan.

Love,

chuttersnap

Neighborhood: Loving Our Neighbors Through Tragedy