Loving Your Neighbor — Carol McLeod Ministries
A Note from Carol: One of the greatest joys of my ministry is celebrating voices that share God’s hope and truth with boldness and grace. Today, I’m honored to share the blog space with my dear friend, Rachael Adams. She’s the author of A Little Goes a Long Way and Everyday Prayers for Love, encouraging women to embrace God’s love and purpose in their everyday lives.
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. - Mark 12:31
We were building a home on our farm, and most days, I’d take our two dogs for a walk along the property. One day, a German Shepherd ran through the fields from the neighboring farm to greet us. Soon after, a car we weren’t familiar with traveled down our gravel driveway. An elderly woman, hardly five foot tall, exited her sedan. “Hello, I’m Doris,” the petite powerhouse introduced herself, extending her hand in neighborly welcome. She told us she’d been meaning to stop by to meet us, and coming to retrieve her dog, Russell, stopped her excuses.
We later learned she had recently been widowed and managed a farm triple our size. Her children didn't live in the area, so she lived alone with Russell. He continues to visit us almost daily, so as you can imagine, Doris does too. And each time she does, we talk. We love getting to spend time with her. More often than not, she brings baked goods, cuttings from her garden, or a seasonal surprise for the kids. On one particular visit, she brought us a homemade angel food cake. This delicious dessert is her specialty, and she makes this available throughout the year for anyone who is grieving or sick.
My daughter Kate and I wanted to carry on the tradition of making and taking angel food cakes to our neighbors to spread the love, so we asked Mrs. Doris to teach us. We invited her into our kitchen. When she arrived she gifted us an angel food cake tin and taught us how to make her recipe that we now have the honor of sharing ourselves. She didn’t just teach us a skill, she taught us how a Christian woman behaves. How to be a good neighbor. We didn’t know it, but God gave us our own “angel” right next door.
My family has moved multiple times, and we have not always been as fortunate with our neighbors as we have been with Mrs. Doris. She (and Russell) are easy to love. We’ve lived next to people who have been noisy, nosy, rude, and unfriendly. I imagine you have had many of the same experiences. But God tells us to “Love our neighbor.” Not just the Mrs. Doris or the Mr. Rogers in our lives, but everyone.
Something To Think About
Jesus teaches the concept of neighborly love in the parable of the good Samaritan. In the story, a man was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest and a Levite were traveling the same road. When they saw the man, they passed by on the other side. But, a Samaritan who saw the injured man took pity on him. He bandaged his wounds, put the man on his donkey, and brought him to an inn. The next day, he gave money to the innkeeper and said, “Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” (Luke 10:35).
Jesus told this parable in response to a man’s question: “Who is my neighbor” (Luke 10:29)? The robbers in the story treated the wounded man as an object to exploit; the priest treated the man as a problem to avoid; the Levite treated him as an object of curiosity; and the innkeeper treated him as a customer to serve for a fee. Only the Samaritan treated the injured man as a person to love.
Keep in mind the Jews considered themselves pure descendants of Abraham and considered the Samaritans to be “unclean” - a mixed-race due to intermarrying after Israel’s exile. As a result, there was deep hatred between the two groups. Understanding this historical context emphasizes the true goodness of the Samaritan’s actions. Knowing this background sheds light on why this Samaritan's actions were considered good.
It also calls us to consider who our neighbor is and what it means to love our neighbor without bias or judgment. If we see a neighbor with a physical, financial, emotional, or spiritual need, we should act to meet that need. Jesus praised the good Samaritan’s actions and told us to, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Who is next to you? Who touches your life on a daily basis? That is your neighbor. How can you show love to them today?
Extra Verses For Study Or Prayer
Matthew 19:19; Luke 10:25-37
Verse Of The Day
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. - Mark 12:31
Prayer
Father, some people are easy to love, but others can be more difficult. Forgive me for not reaching out to my neighbors when I should have. Lead me to know when and how to help the people You have intentionally placed around me. No matter where I go and who I meet, help me to see each individual as a person to love and as an opportunity to fulfill Your command to love my neighbor. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Questions For Deeper Reflection
Considering the story of the Good Samaritan, who has been unneighborly to you? Is there a person who has been a good neighbor to you? How so?
How can you be a better neighbor to the people around you? What is one thing you plan to do for the person who lives near you?
On today’s show Carol welcomes author and podcaster Rachael Adams. Rachael’s own podcast ‘The Love Offering’ is all about discovering how you can be a love offering to those around you and learn to believe that what you offer matters; and her recently released book ‘Everyday Prayers for Love: Learning to Love God, Others, and Even Yourself, shares much of the wisdom learned along her life’s journey. This conversation is one full of encouragement and practical insights for moving past your insecurities and into acting out and participating in God’s love. Join us and jump into another episode of the Significant Women Podcast with Carol McLeod!
Find Rachael and all her work at https://rachaelkadams.com/
