Friday, February 12. 2010

Reach Out To Others

"love your neighbor as yourself." -- Leviticus 19:18b

The Boy Scouts came to church last Sunday for their annual program. They do things like present the flag and lead the congregation in The Scout Oath. One section of the oath calls for scouts to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. It also calls them to love their neighbor as they love themselves.

What a wonderful thing to teach kids. Doing good is what it is all about. We are blessed when we do for others. It always comes back to us. And on and on.

Several years ago a woman I know was at her wits end. She had twin infants, an almost teenager and a husband on his second tour in Iraq. She lived in the country and away from family. The youth group at church showed up at her house one Saturday and spent the day doing yard work. She is somebody others forget. Young and able, we would say. Middle-class and not suffering, others would add. But pushed to the limit emotionally and physically, this woman was struggling alone where no one noticed. Or so she thought. She rarely missed church after that Saturday. She felt the loving embrace that some young folks extended to her.

I've heard old-timers talk about how farmers always used to help each other. If one was sick, the neighbors gathered his crops. Sometimes this still happens. When our neighbor died suddenly, he left hay cut and waiting to be bailed. While his family was at the funeral home, friends came and bailed the hay. A small gift, really, that took one burden from the grieving family.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus thought it was so important that He repeated it. In Matthew, a man asks Jesus about how he can have eternal life. Jesus mentioned several things, one of which was "love your neighbor as yourself."

Sometimes we don't do anything, even though we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, because we're afraid of rejection. Or we really don't know what to do. It's the thought that counts, an old cliche tells us. And it's true. A note to a friend who's feeling down. A short visit to an elderly church member whose days are now spent in the nursing home. A kind word to a child who feels left out.

One of the best ways to show God how much we love Him is to love His children. We are all family. His family. Take time today to reach out and show someone you care.

We are called to think about others, to want good for everyone just as we would want good for ourselves.