October 11, 2024

                                                  Do Not Lie

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

– Exodus 20:16

Do not steal.

Do not lie.

Do not deceive one another.

– Leviticus 19:11

It happened again today. Another Facebook friend copied and shared “information” that was completely false.

It sounded good to people who want to believe the worst of President Biden and his administration. But it just wasn’t true. It was designed to make good people angry about the federal response to something horrific that happened to people in the path of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

Let’s be clear here: FEMA, the military and many, many volunteers have been in these areas from the beginning. Keep in mind that the catastrophes are wide-spread. There is much ground to cover especially in Western North Carolina where so many mountain roads are washed away.

My cousin who lives just outside of Asheville asked for everyone to share her message. She’s a Republican and absolutely not a Biden fan. But she said that FEMA had been on the ground from the beginning, making sure the homeless had somewhere to live, making sure food, medicine and other supplies were delivered to people who were stranded up the mountain near her home. She said night had fallen but she could still hear the whirl of helicopter blades as the work continued.

As for the $750 everyone throws out, that is just the beginning. It’s for basics. There will be more money to come. Do victims need to fill out paperwork? Absolutely! Otherwise anyone could come in, claim to be a victim, and get money intended for true storm victims.

No. Migrants aren’t receiving money intended for storm victims. It’s a separate fund. Money designated for victims of natural disasters can only be used for that purpose.

FEMA cannot come in and take your home. That’s been a big rumor. People in some cases have refused to evacuate because they’re afraid FEMA will steal their home. It’s a lie. Mother Nature may take your home, but FEMA won’t.

I could go on and on about the misinformation – lies – that have been told recently. As Christians, we have a responsibility to check the accuracy of information before we share it as fact.

Lies have become a daily part of the political landscape. It’s wrong. But what’s worse is that we not only allow those lies, we share them. We make excuses for the lies and the people spewing the falsehoods.

Look at your Bible. What does it say? Don’t lie. Don’t bear false witness against another. Are you sharing false information? Are you voting for a candidate that does that too? Shame on you. Lies don’t become truth just because you want your candidate to win.

August 25, 2024

                    Start With Love

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

– Leviticus 19:33-34

They walk. They swim. They come by boat or cargo truck. They sacrifice everything, sometimes even their lives, to seek something better for themselves, their children and their extended families.

We don’t know their stories. We don’t care. We see the illegal crossings, the financial burden, the “threat” to what we erroneously see as ours. Our hardened hearts demand a stop to it all.

We are Christians.

Some conservatives rush to explain the Hebrew words and talk about illegal aliens and what this scripture really means. They are “justifying” hatred and lack of compassion.

Some liberals hurry to use these two verses as a reason to open the border completely and demand that our government provide unlimited money to help them all. Isn’t that what God would want, they ask.

Love. Maybe that’s the key word. Love. God loved us enough to send His Son to die on a cross for our sins. God is love. Jesus told us to love God and to love our neighbors.

But evil has dulled our senses to the point of hatred to all those who aren’t like us. We see it in the racial divide. We see it in the difference in neighborhoods and bank accounts. We “need” to be financially better than others. We “need” for everyone to be like us. We “need” to justify our hatred that we direct toward people we don’t even know.

This is a complicated issue with many, many points of view. Do we need to do something? Absolutely. But do not mock God by claiming faith and then turning away from those created in His image. In all things, show love and kindness and compassion. That is what God requires from us.

October 15, 2018

Integrity

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” 

– Mark 8:36

“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.” – Leviticus 19:11

He’s nearing the end of his career. Over the years he’s formed friendships that blur the lines of objectivity. It’s easy to slip a little here, a little there. What difference does it make, after all?

He was once a good man. He was a man of integrity. At least, that’s what they say. It isn’t evident now. He cuts corners. He’s dishonest. He doesn’t follow regulations. And, most of the time, he doesn’t try to hide it.

He’s not a bad person. He’s someone you would like. He’s just like you and me. He’s a regular guy who goes to work everyday and puts in his time. He’s heading toward a pension. He’s got retirement in his sights. I wonder sometimes if he realizes how easily he could lose it all. Maybe arrogance and time have made him feel immune. He isn’t.

Maybe you would never compromise your integrity for a job. Are you sure? I have a friend who is a firm believer in showing up, doing your job, and going home. Don’t get involved in anything you don’t need to be involved in, he says. Don’t pay attention to what someone else might being doing. Just do your thing and let it be.

But is that the right thing to do? Should we turn a blind eye to behavior that is wrong, dishonest, illegal? If we do that, are we part of the problem? We relax our own standards when we refuse to speak up against something that is wrong.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. – Colossians 3:2

I represent Jesus, whether I am at church, at home or in the workplace. That’s true of every believer. We are His light, His hands and feet, in this world. If we ignore wrong behavior, how can we expect anyone else to step up and do something?

Jesus always defended the underdog. He reached out to the outcast, the sinner, those who were hurting and desperate. He never once said it was someone else’s problem. Jesus directed His disciples to do the same. We’re to speak up when something wrong is happening.

It’s not an easy task. Do you confront the wrongdoer directly? Do you go to someone higher up, risking that he might also be involved too? Do you remain silent?

And do you participate, directly or indirectly, in what’s happening? What do you do when a supervisor tells you to do something that you know is wrong? Do you have the courage to walk away from a paycheck if that means keeping your integrity? Do you trust God enough to refuse to be sucked into wrongdoing?

Paul tells us to do everything as though we are working for the Lord. Would Jesus look the other way? Would Jesus risk everything to be honest? Would Jesus do what was right no matter the cost?

That’s how you live your life. It’s the difference between being a person who lives his faith and being a person who doesn’t.

June 27, 2018

Let It Go

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:18

A few weeks ago, former President Bill Clinton and author James Patterson made the media rounds as they promoted a book they’d written together. Guess what all the reporters wanted to talk about? That’s right. Monica Lewinsky and the scandal.

That scandal happened in the late 1990s. Clinton has apologized repeatedly. I watched one reporter demand answers again and again, refusing to let it go. It wasn’t until Patterson intervened that the reporter moved on. The reporter shamed himself, not Clinton.

Clinton can never undo the wrong that he did. He can apologize and seek to lead a different life. He’s done both. So, what is it about us that refuses to let it go? And why are so many Christians still throwing it in his face all these many years later?

You’re probably ready to cite all of Clinton’s sins. You feel the need to remind me of the extramarital sexual encounters, the lies, the age difference. You “know” that I just don’t understand the magnitude of what he did.

What you don’t understand is the magnitude of what you’ve done. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. How would you like it if your past sins, those you have apologized for, kept being thrown in your face? How would you feel if your attempts to change your life were met with constant reminders of where you’d once been?

We are such a vengeful people. We are so judgmental and full of righteous anger. We hold grudges and slam those who fail to meet our standards. We hang on to wrongs long after they should have been cast aside.

And we do it selectively. Why is it that a sin by one person is roundly and publicly condemned while the same sin by another person is quietly forgiven and excused away? Does no one else see the double-standard?

And why do we hold others up to a perfect standard no one can ever achieve, while letting ourselves slide because we see our sins as somehow “lesser” than those of others?

Did Clinton lie? Absolutely. Have you ever told a lie? Be careful you don’t tell another one as you answer. If you’ve ever told someone a dress looked good on them when it didn’t, you lied. If you’ve ever made up an excuse to not do something because “you didn’t want to hurt their feelings,” you lied.

Have you ever broken the law? Sure, you have. Every time you drive even one mile over the speed limit you have broken the law. It’s not about degrees of sin no matter how we want to insist that it is. Sin is sin.

Sure, some sins have consequences that will forever haunt us. Clinton’s sins obviously fit that category. But as people of faith, who are we to judge him? Jesus clearly stated that those who judge will, in turn, be judged with the same measure. Do you really want to be judged the way you judge Clinton and others? Are you really ready to stand before Almighty God and explain yourself to Him?

Let it go. Trust God to work in that person’s heart. Be gracious. Show mercy. Accept apologies and changed behavior as the blessing it is. And, above all else, see people through the eyes of Jesus. Love them in such a way that makes them want to become the people God created them to be.

June 20, 2018

Don’t Twist God’s Words

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. – Romans 13:1

Attorney General Jeff Sessions used the Bible, quoting the Apostle Paul, to justify the Trump Administration’s policy to separate children from their parents as these desperate people cross the border asking for help and a better life. Shame on him!

Should the world have remained silent while Hitler slaughtered Jews? Should Colonial American have remained attached to Great Britain instead of fighting to create this country? Should Daniel have stopped praying because the king ordered that no one pray to anyone but him? That’s exactly the logic Sessions uses in his comments.

It creates horrific injustice when someone takes the Bible out of context and uses His Word to justify their own cruelty. Most people don’t know the Bible well enough to understand the context of this passage.

Paul was writing to a very specific audience: Roman Christians. He was urging them to obey Roman law and pay their taxes. Nero was on the throne. He was truly an evil king. But the Romans were afraid the Christians would rise up in rebellion. Paul’s words encouraged the Roman Christians to get along with others and, as Jesus noted in His ministry, give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar.

Paul also talks a great deal about loving others.

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. – Romans 13:10

Are we loving others when we separate parents from their children? Are they criminals for trying to enter our country through legal channels? Why are we traumatizing young children, who are screaming out for their mothers? When did we become a nation who believes this is right?

And to say it’s from God?! It defies everything God is. John tells us that God is love. This is nothing from God. This is horrific behavior from a government that has come to believe it can do anything without fear of repercussions.

In the Book of Acts, Jewish leaders commanded that Peter and John stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. They refused.

But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:19-20

Later, they were warned again by authorities.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” – Acts 5:29

Yes, we must make sure that those wishing to enter our country do so legally. But we must also extend compassion and kindness to those who have journeyed far, sacrificed much, with great hope in their hearts. They are desperate for what most of us received by mere chance of birth. We shouldn’t think ourselves better than we are because of that.

We must also remember the words from Leviticus.

“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Leviticus 19:34

There’s that word again. Love. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the LORD our God and then to love others as ourselves. There is no love in the actions of Sessions and others. No one is above God’s law, including them.

This is not a debate among Republicans and Democrats, no matter how they may try and position it. This is matter of following God’s law before a policy set by man. It’s past time Christians rose up and said no more. Obey God’s law before man’s.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Love God First

“Never cut your bodies in mourning for the dead or mark your skin with tattoos, for I am the LORD.” -- Leviticus 19:28

A few years ago a wonderful young woman began attending a pretty conservative church. She, her husband and their two young children were a delightful family. This woman, unlike her husband, wasn’t raised in church. But she came to love Jesus with incredible passion.

The problem wasn’t the young woman. The problem was the people who surrounded her. They couldn’t get past the tattoos. They looked down on the multiple piercings. To them, the external meant the internal would never be good enough.

She felt their disapproval. She heard the comments. She saw the looks. Eventually she stopped coming to that church. Her marriage to the traditional man fell apart. She’s still a wonderful person and a devout Christian. Just not at that church, in that environment. They lost someone pretty special. I don’t know if they’ll ever open their eyes and their hearts enough to realize it.

All this resurfaced the other day when a another friend mentioned someone who had been blasted by his Christian “friends” because he got a tattoo. She has tattoos and couldn’t believe the outrage. Oh, did I mention that the tattoo was of Jesus?

Yeah, I know what Leviticus says about tattoos. Don’t do it. This same chapter also says not to trim the hair on your temples or the edges of your beards. It says not to wear clothing from two different types of fabric. And it says to stand in the presence of elderly people. Not too many people follow any of those rules but you don’t hear a lot of outrage about it.

I’ve always been amazed at how some Christians pick and choose Scripture to suit them. They take things out of context and ignore the heart of what it says. Just like they ignore the heart of the person they’re condemning.

In the book of Leviticus, God had Moses write down some pretty basic instructions for His people. It was important that God’s people distinguish themselves from the pagans who lived all around them.

We need to do the same today. Not by our judgments but by our love and compassion for others. For example, this same chapter in Leviticus tells us not to exploit foreigners but to treat them like everyone else and love them as yourself. It sure puts the illegal immigrant debate in a different context.

Sometimes it seems impossible to follow all of God’s rules. How do we know which ones He wants us to focus on? That’s easy. Just remember what Jesus said and everything else will fall into place.

“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

-- Matthew 22:37-40

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Some Go Hungry

When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I, the LORD, am your God. -- Leviticus 23:22

Last night I shelled peas. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m one of those people who actually likes shelling peas. I view it as an excuse to sit down, put my feet up and watch mindless television. But not when I find out about the peas at 8:30 p.m.

I shelled them. I did. And, really, I didn’t complain. Well, maybe a deep sigh but nothing loud. I put aside my plans to workout, write and read. I just did what needed to be done. But I was aggravated and that caused the guilt.

There are so many people in the world who don’t have fresh peas to shell, cook and eat. They don’t have enough food period. So this surplus is something I should feel nothing but gratitude for. Most of the time I do.

The Bible tells us that God understood there would be people who don’t have enough food. He gave instructions to make sure those people would be provided for. He told the farmers to leave grain along the edges of the fields and to not go back and pick up the grain the harvesters dropped. That way the poor and the foreigners could have something to eat. It could be called sharing.

Do you remember the story of Ruth? When she and Naomi returned to Naomi’s home, Ruth worked the fields that belonged to Boaz. She went behind the harvesters collecting what they’d dropped so that she and her mother-in-law would have food to eat.

Many of us have an abundance of everything, including food. But there are so many people -- including some in this country -- who don’t have the basics. I’m not talking about people who won’t work or even those who can’t work. I’m talking about people who work hard each and every day and still don’t earn enough money to have a decent place to live, enough food to eat, and all those miscellaneous items that eat into any budget.

So, yes, I felt guilty that I didn’t want to shell peas at night. I’m blessed that I have enough food to eat. Maybe if we all tried a little harder, gave a little more, other people would have enough food to eat too.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Mothers As Murderers?

The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him.’” -- Leviticus 20:1-2

The news was horrific. A mother charged with murdering her 11-year-old son and attempting to murder her 15-year-old son. I’m sure the coming days will reveal more information. Police will search for a motive. Family, friends and neighbors will be shocked.

We all are shocked. We’ve seen this scenario played out in the media too many times in recent years. Mothers are supposed to love and protect their children. Not kill them. It’s beyond comprehension because we assume all mothers -- and fathers -- love their children and that’s just not the case.

We don’t look for it because we can’t wrap our minds around that type of horror. Talk to somebody with child protective services. I’m sure they could tell you a few stories. Assumptions are frequently wrong. And by not opening our eyes, by refusing to see what is sometimes in front of us, we may miss crucial warning signs that could save a child’s life.

We want to believe that parents we know would never harm their children. We go to church with them, see them at school functions, maybe even work with them. They live across the street or play golf at the same club. They’re like us. Except they’re not.

News Flash: Parents don’t always love their children. It doesn’t matter who they are in the community, where they live, what kind of car they drive or whether you like them or not. Otherwise good people sometimes really should never have had children.

I can’t imagine how this young survivor will cope in the coming days and months. It’s not just that he lost his brother. Or that he’s battling his own injuries. It’s learning to accept that the person who should have loved him most in this world is the person who tried to end his life. How do you trust after that?

You turn to God. I pray that young man is surrounded by people who will help him rely on God’s strength and wisdom to navigate this horrible journey. It’s the only thing that will keep him sane and lead him to some measure of peace with circumstances he couldn’t control and can never change.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Let God Handle It

Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

-- Leviticus 19:17-18

It is normal to want desperately to lash out when someone hurts you. It is normal to want to hurt the people who hurt you first. It is normal to want revenge. What is normal, though, isn’t what we’re called to do. That’s the hard part.

We are to forgive. We are to move on. We are to be gracious and kind, compassionate even, in the midst of trials that sometimes know no end. Difficult? Yes. But necessary -- for us.

It is too easy to let ourselves be drawn into the hardness of the fight. We become like the people we so dislike in a vain effort to give them what we think they deserve. We forget to let God handle it. We don’t trust that He’ll do it as well as we believe we can. We don’t believe that God will stand firm and deliver a harsh rebuke to the person who harmed us. We don’t trust that He won’t show them compassion -- like He has shown us for our own transgressions.

Oops. Because we are all sinners. Sometimes in action. Sometimes in word. Sometimes in thought. Sometimes all at the same time. And God has shown us compassion. He sent His Son to die for us. Such love is beyond anything we can comprehend. Yet we’re called to understand and respond accordingly.

It isn’t easy. Sometimes forgiveness is a daily choice to give it to God. To pray for those who hurt you. To replace evil thoughts with scripture.

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

-- Luke 6:27

We always hurt ourselves most when we harbor hatred and ill-feelings. We become consumed with the person who hurt us rather than focus our lives on what is right and good. Our feelings become a burden that is so heavy we can’t move forward. We can’t heal. We are mired in an never-ending cycle that will slowly destroy us.

Unless we give it all to Jesus. Unless we place our burden at the altar. Unless we trust that God will take care of it in His own time and way.

Let it go. Day after day, if need be. But give it to God and let it go.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Give To God What Is His

"A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord." -- Leviticus 27:30

I paused for a moment as I sealed the envelope that contains my tithe for the week. I've come a long way when it comes to giving a tenth of everything I earn. No. I don't mean I've suddenly gotten rich. I've just come to a point where it is simply part of what I do, of who I am.

Once upon a time I was one of those people who could never afford to give. I was struggling to pay my bills. How could anyone expect me to give to God or anyone else when I didn't have enough for myself? God would understand. I knew He would.

Later, as I really came to read the Bible, I wanted to follow God with all my heart. I wanted my actions to reflect that. The church I attended asked that everyone pledge to contribute a certain amount each year. We got to choose the amount. I gladly pledged and kept up with my payments each Sunday. Then, two things happen. I had surgery and missed a few weeks of church. Only two people, one of them the pastor, bothered to check on me. However, a member of the finance committee did contact me to remind me I was behind on my pledged tithes. The second thing was the rain. A large part of my income came from home improvement installations, which were delayed by the rain. I still remember the Sunday morning I sat sipping coffee and looking at my check book. I finally decided I couldn't afford to go to church that day.

That got my attention. It was just a realization that came out of nowhere. Church isn't supposed to be about money. God doesn't value a rich person more than a poor one. He wants us to give a tenth of what we have to honor Him. I never went back to that church.

Years later I found myself at a different church, struggling to give a small amount each week. I gave even when I didn't earn. It was stressful but I convinced myself that it was what God wanted. It took a young mother commenting on her child to make that lightbulb go off. She said her son knew to give a tenth of any money he received, whether he earned it or it was a gift. He gave when he received. Duh!

So, now I give a tenth of everything I earn. Mostly I give it to my church, which doesn't, by the way, demand payment or promises of payment to attend and worship God. Sometimes I give to the local Christian radio station. I just ask God and He guides me. I take comfort in knowing that He knows my heart, has always known my heart, no matter how many times I've stumbled over the years.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

God Owns It All

"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land."

-- Leviticus 25:23-24

God gave these and other instructions to Moses for the Israelites. Every 50 years they were to have a Year of Jubilee. During that year all debts were canceled, all slaves freed and land that had been sold returned to its original owners. Of course, that's the simple version. The instructions for the Year of Jubilee take up most of chapter 25 in Leviticus.

The footnote in my Bible says there is no indication that the Israelites ever held the Year of Jubilee. Can you imagine the chaos it would have caused? We humans don't like to give up anything we deem as ours. Yet, God was right (as always). If the Israelites had done as God told them to do, no one would have been permanently poor. God was providing a do-over for anyone who needed it. And all of us need a do-over at some point in our lives.

God also reminded everyone that the land belongs to Him. That's something we tend to forget. We're so busy buying and selling, claiming and clutching land and other possessions that we forget it all belongs to Him. We don't own it and we aren't taking it with us when we go.

This is not our permanent home. It doesn't mean we can't enjoy the things that God has given us. But it is temporary. Everything on this earth is temporary. If we could remember that, it might help us put things in perspective. Taking care of something that belongs to God carries a great deal more responsibility than taking care of something that belongs to us.

God wants us to share what He gives us with others. He wants us to be good stewards of His world. And He wants us to remember that it all belongs to Him.

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Scapegoat For Our Sins

"He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites -- all their sins -- and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed to the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert." -- Leviticus 16:21-22

I grew up hearing the term "scapegoat" but it wasn't until I started reading the Bible from start to finish that I learned that it comes from -- you guessed it! -- the Bible. A scapegoat is someone who gets blamed or punished for something that someone else did. The poor goat got that job in the Old Testament.



On the Day of Atonement, Aaron was to present two goats to the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed to the Lord and which would become the scapegoat. God would forgive our sins through the sacrifice of the first goat and He would remove our guilt through the scapegoat. Thankfully, Jesus' death replaced this ritual. God forgives our sins and removes our guilt when we place our faith and trust in Jesus.



We humans are always wanting to blame someone else rather than take responsibility. Remember Eve? She blamed the serpent. And, for those men out there feeling superior at that memory, read a little further. Adam blamed Eve. Of course, Adam was right there and willing to eat the fruit. He could have said no. It was just easier to do what he wanted, then blame someone else.



How often do we look for a scapegoat in our own lives? Is money tight because of things we can't control or is it tight because we refuse to give up eating at restaurants several times a week? Is our loved one being unreasonable or are we simply too stubborn to compromise? So the finger pointing continues.



None of us wants to admit responsibility when things go wrong. We'd prefer to point that finger, lay the guilt on someone else, and stand aside while someone else pays the price. That's not the way it's supposed to work.



Jesus died for us. God sacrificed His only Son, to take our sins upon Him, so that we could have eternal life. Jesus paid for our sins. The least we can do is step up and accept responsibility when we do sin.

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.