Neighbors

A neighbor brought my family some groceries earlier this week. We weren't lacking food, she just thought she would help us out a bit. It's not uncommon for her to drop by to talk, drop off a pot of chili or some tasty dessert. This time was a little different. She shared a story with my wife. When she was younger she hit hard times as a single mom with her first baby. Food almost seemed like a luxury. She told Lily (my wife) how she used to just pray and pray that her baby would keep sleeping, because if he woke up he would want to eat and her cupboards were all but empty. As a parent of a toddler, I can't imagine how hopeless and painful that must be. Her first night in public housing was one of the rough ones--nothing to eat. But thankfully, one of her neighbors stopped by and invited them to dinner. To hear her tell it, it was an angel! And given the circumstances, I think that thoughtful neighbor did show the love of God in a tangible way, like an angel. That night, she made a vow to God that she would always be good to her neighbors. And I am willing to testify as well as others in our building that she is indeed making good on that.

When Lily told me about this conversation, I cried. I was overwhelmed by this sweet lady's care for others amidst a still hard life (both she and her mom have substantial health problems). I am also convicted. How many ways do I fail to be a neighbor to those around me? How much more do I fail to be a neighbor to those that I don't come across on a daily basis, those folks I avoid? The amazing thing is that I have even greater reason to be grateful than my neighbor. I have never felt the awful hopelessness of not being able to feed my child, my wife, or myself. I have been blessed with access to all the necessities (and many luxuries) as well as a strong social support system that would readily and quickly provide anything I lacked.

Why don't I feel the same gut level gratefulness for God's blessings that my neighbor does? In fact, why doesn't the church feel that level of compassion? Why don't all of us who follow Jesus have deeper gratefulness for all the LORD has given us and seek to spread that blessing to others? Sometimes I think we might look like Israel did, called to be a blessing to the nations, and not only failing in our charge, but also failing to understand how blessed we really are. The LORD has used this sweet lady not only to bring blessing in my family's life, but conviction and a better understanding of how we should go about building his Kingdom.

Brandon Russell
brandon@advancememphis.org