Even When It’s Hard

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord.  Lev. 19:18

It was a sad day when my next-door neighbors of 30+ years moved away. I knew I would miss them as we had become good friends over those years. I knew also that their home would sell quickly as it was beautiful inside and out.

The day the new young family of 5 moved in I count as a blessing as it was the first time in my long life that I would have the opportunity to get to know people of a different background and ethnicity from my own.

Their 3 children range in age from second grade to preschool and are just adorable. When their little faces look up at me and call me, “Miss Judy,” it melts my heart. I am just beginning to love my new neighbors. 

After the Saturday night snowfall we had last month (not the predicted snowstorm), I opted to stay home from church anyway in order to prevent a fall on a slick spot and possibly reinjuring my right foot. I was just finishing up physical therapy and I didn’t want to have to start over. So I went to church that Sunday morning via YouTube.

When the service was over, I went to look out the window at the snow-white beauty in my front yard. There they were, all in a row. All 5 of my new neighbors with appropriately sized shovels in hand, scooping the snow from my sidewalk.  Because it was cold out, I stepped out onto the porch and called to the dad saying I would open my garage door and he could use my snowblower to finish up. The dad replied, “No thanks, we’re trying to teach our children that it’s okay to help your neighbor – even when it’s hard.”  I said thank you and went back inside. 

Pastor Thomas had recently preached a sermon on, “Who is Your Neighbor.” So, I had just been thinking about how to show neighborly love not about how to receive it, and here were my new neighbors graciously extending their neighborly love and teaching me that sometimes giving it needs to be done even when it’s hard to do.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise you for showing us not only who our neighbors are, but how to receive as well as give neighborly love. Help us to be grateful and thankful for all Your love wherever we find it in this world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Judy Welch