Love Your Neighbor–Including Those You’ve Never Met
Other Posts in this Series
- Love Your Neighbor–An Impossible Command
- Love Your Neighbor–Including Your Family
- Love Your Neighbor–Including Other Christians
- Love Your Neighbor–Including Strangers
- Love Your Neighbor–Including Those You’ve Never Met
- Love Your Neighbor–Including Your Enemy
We live in a global community that forces us to widen our definition of neighbor beyond the people we come in contact with everyday. Although we might not be able to talk with the Darfur refugees or the innocent families that have lost loved ones in Iraq, they are still our neighbors. We see their pictures on the news channels and read of their stories in the newspaper or on the internet.
Centuries, or even decades, ago people lived fairly isolated lives learning little of what was happening around the world. We didn’t know about wars and genocide in far away places. We were oblivious to famine and starvation, slave-trading and religious persecution. We can no longer claim ignorance. We can no longer turn our head the other way and walk on the other side of the road like the Priest and Levite. When we stumble upon hurting people wherever they may be we must respond with compassion like the Samaritan.
Speaking of stumbling upon. Yesterday I StumbledUpon a website that displayed some of the images that have changed our world. The photos moved me with their graphic depiction of pain and suffering across our globe in the last century. Many depicted scenes in my own lifetime. Where was I and what was I doing when these things were taking place? More pointedly, where am I and what am I doing now when my global neighbor is hurting?
I read in the news yesterday morning the story of Israel turning away Darfur refugees who are making their way through Egypt into Israel. I know that decisions to be a good neighbor are difficult under such circumstances. Accepting these improvished, homeless people will strain Israel’s infrastructure. We can sit in condemnation of Israel for their decision, but if we do, we must also take a look at our own efforts to keep out the poor and desperate from our own country. In what ways are we being neighbors to those crossing our own borders illegally every day?
I don’t know that I have many answers here, but the instruction to be a good neighbor makes me uncomfortable. The call to love stretches my worldview. If I am to truly love my neighbor, I cannot walk on the other side of the road turning my head away from what I see and hear whether the need be that of a person next to me or around the world.
Comments
Share your thoughts...
