Welcome Others: Loving Your Next Door Neighbor

One of the deepest needs we have as human beings is to feel known and loved. In God’s kindness He gives us a ‘how to’ in order to fulfill that soul need. Luke 10:27 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.” Did you catch that word? Neighbor. It’s pretty specific. Through God’s patience and His softening of my own heart I’ve learned (with such richness, might I add) that you can’t serve others well across a property line or through a screen – you have to be vulnerable enough to open the door and invite them in. I think a lot of us might try to stretch the meaning of “neighbor” to include those that are the easiest to love in our lives – those in the broader area of our social circles. But let’s not try to stretch this meaning. Let’s take that word “neighbor” as it stands and think about the names and faces of those that live right next door to you. 

Social research tells us that in recent history, neighbors spend significantly less time together today than in years past. There’s a fine line between privacy and pride, and if we’re not careful we can emit a false sense of self-sufficiency to those who have been placed nearby to both help and be helped by you. Add to that the rise of social media, which masks itself as connection, but in reality is a heavily watered down version of what God really wants for us. 

Here are three practical ways the Lord prompted me to engage with those in my direct reach.

First up, names. Using someone’s name shows a sign of respect. Knowing and remembering your neighbors names shows them that you’re paying attention, and can alone lend itself to feelings of care and concern.

Second, listen. When you do, you’ll realize that we likely have a lot more in common than we do differences. You didn’t choose these people to share your street name, but the Lord did, and that in and of itself should be the fuel you need to love them well.

Third, create margin for interaction and serve. There is a real need from those around you to experience true connection and most importantly, the love of Christ. Be known for making people feel loved, seen and accepted. Make them feel lavishly loved when they leave an interaction. Buy a meal, pull up the trash can, send a card – you never know the mighty impact your small act of kindness can have on someone’s heart. That is the love of Christ in action.

My husband and I planted some of these seeds and those seeds started to grow. An extra minute at the bus stop turned into sharing more stories. Stories turned into invitations. Slowly but surely the more we opened the door, the more experiences we shared and memories were created. God blesses obedience, so I am here to encourage and challenge you to do what you can to love well and keep your eyes open. The Lord will not only bless others through you, but your heart will grow richly as well. 

*Amanda is a guest writer. She leads worship at Cross Point.