Craig Clouston

Love Your Neighbor

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Colossians 3:12

It was close to midnight and raining hard when they passed the transient as he walked along the side of the road. He blended in to his surroundings, due to being soaked. They had seen him before and knew he was headed for the bridge just ahead. He would spend the night there, tucked in under the bridge, above the river. Hurrying on to the little town just across the bridge, he dropped off his wife and quickly gathered a few items. Back across the bridge, he found the man just reaching the point where he usually dropped off, into the underworld he preferred. Pulling up and rolling down the window, the driver asked if there was anything he could do? The man shyly declined and began to step over the guardrail. The urgency in the drivers voice stopped him, and the rain-soaked man turned, saying, “I could use a little bit to eat if you’ve got something.” Asking him to get in, they headed for the driver’s home, where he and his wife shared conversation and a meal with the man. Finished eating he declined lodging. He was given dry clothes and the offer of a shower. Eagerly accepting the backpack and umbrella and excusing himself, he left the house, opening the umbrella, and walked down the hill toward the bridge.

Neither the driver nor his wife would ever forget the broken-toothed grin that was shyly given in response to the love they had shared with this child of God as he walked out of their lives.

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Blessings beyond our wildest imagination are both given and received when we step outside our comfort zone in an effort to treat others with respect. We are given opportunities to minister in difficult circumstances. It is God’s desire that we take the time to let our hearts express the kindness and compassion He inherently gave us. We don’t know what their act of kindness did for that man on that rainy night, but we rest in the knowledge that God never leaves seeds unwatered.

Prayer

“Father, please make me an instrument of Your love. Teach me to give of my time as well as my finances. Help me recognize the opportunities for what they really are, Your test of my love for You. In Jesus name, Amen.”