Who is your neighbor?

We love because he first loved us – 1 John 4:19

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Neighbors come from surprising places. Your neighbor is different from my neighbor. Neighbors could be down the street, in the office, on the team, or halfway across the world. Neighbors could be from the same race or a different race. Neighbors might even support different political parties. Whoever your neighbor may be, they are people created in the image of God, people like you and I with hopes and dreams, people who need to know that they are precious, that they are important and that they are loved. In the hope that ‘some’ people might not be your neighbor Do you catch ourselves asking the question ‘who is my neighbor?’

Are your neighbors at work just the friendly customers with smiles on their face, and the out-going coworkers who go the extra mile to make your job and the workplace a fun place to be? Do your neighbors include co-workers who are living pay-check to pay-check wondering if they are next on the lay-off list. Is the new employee who is struggling to learn the ropes and do his job or the employee who is creating more work for you also your neighbor? Is your supervisor your neighbor?

Out of love for the Lord your God, when you see that person who desperately needs a neighbor, choose to love him or her as yourself even as Christ first loved you. You have been filled with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who will guide you in all truth and wisdom so that you can discern who your neighbor is, and how best to love them. As you rest in your Father’s love you will find the strength today, this moment, to love your co-workers. He will give you the grace to hear their hearts, hopes and dreams, if you only ask him. Truly you can love your neighbor because Christ first loved you. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your great love for us. You ask us to love others as we love our selves. We know that we cannot do this on our own strength, and so we ask you to walk beside us, and fill us with your love for our co-workers, for those who desperately need a neighbor. Amen.