Craig Clouston

Good Neighbors

He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart…and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Luke 10:27

Scott figured if his neighbor needed help with something, and it was within his power to do so, he would. So when Mike and Jenna began building a new patio, Scott offered his assistance. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, approaching his neighbors of twenty-eight years.

“We’ll…” Jenna said, pointing. “We’ve been deciding how to finish off that corner.”

“We want to run brick clear to the corner,” Mike clarified, “but aren’t sure how to keep the sand from pushing out from under it.

“A ramp for Nelson would be nice, too,” Jenna added, referring to their twenty-four year-old, wheelchair-bound nephew.

“You know…” Scott said, “I’ve got some treated lumber. We could drive some angle iron in along the edge there,” he motioned, showing them what he had in mind, “and fasten a couple boards to hold the sand in place. We could definitely add that ramp while we’re at it,” Scott said.

“That would be great!” Mike said. “Nelson is part of our family. I want him to feel included, too, ya know.”

Scott did know. He was aware that Nelson usually had to hang out at the edges of whatever function was going on due to the lack of access ramps.

Six hours later, patio complete, with friends and family enjoying a 4^th of July celebration, Scott was moved to tears as Nelson, sitting in the middle of the patio, said, “Thanks so much for building that ramp!”

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You don’t have to love God to be a good neighbor…kindness is a natural, inherent human trait; being a good neighbor isn’t a Christian characteristic. Kindness should, however, be one trait every Christian displays.

If we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, God's love should naturally flow through us to everyone else…including, and especially our neighbors.

We may never know what impact our words and actions have on those who live beside us. But we should always speak and act as though their view of God depends solely on what they see in us.

Prayer

“Help me love like You love, Lord…indiscriminately, with every part of my being. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”