Who is my neighbor?

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “ And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10: 25-29   

This scripture reminds me of a person I met while consulting at a rural nursing home in Iowa. This man was in his early 60’s and was put in the facility because his elderly father had died, and none of his siblings wanted to take him in. He was used to working hard on the family farm and served as the caregiver for his parents. The man had never been to school because his language was halting and mushy, and the family assumed he was intellectually challenged. We eventually learned that he was hard of hearing and very bright—especially when he got new hearing aides and could hear things properly. Anyway—when his father could no longer drive into town to get the mail, his son would walk into town on the gravel roads, stop at the post office , and then do any other errands that were needed. The postmaster noted that when there was no mail there for him, he cried as this was an important job for him. So the postmaster silently started putting aside junk mail that could not be delivered if someone had died or moved away. When the man did not have any mail for the day—the postmaster would take out the junk mail and hand it to him so he could proudly take it home. This went on quietly for several years until a substitute postmaster came in and learned of the secret—of course in a small town, it was no longer a secret. The postmaster could easily have scolded the man and called his father and said not to send the son to get the mail. But, instead, he quietly and lovingly helped the man be proud of himself and his jobs. Who is my neighbor? Who needs our love and caring?
 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the good neighbors around us. Help us to reflect your love by being a good neighbor for others. Thank you for your son, Jesus, who spoke to us in parables that challenge us to understand your word. Amen.

 

Nancy Hall