One week, as part of our Love Better plan, my family decided to love new neighbors who had recently moved into our neighborhood and were within our usual walking route. Together, with guidance from the Holy Spirit, we came up with the plan to purchase and give out flowers to the new neighbors. We delivered them on a walk with a special message that M cut out. M got out of the double stroller at each stop and carefully put the heavy hanging flowers on the porch. We met 2 out of the 6 neighbors as we were dropping off the gifts. Knowing neighbors makes the world feel a little less huge.
Manna:
Think of outside-the-box ways to love people around you as a family.
Continually re-evaluate and adjust your lifestyle to face out more than you face in.
Think and discuss with your children how things they already do and enjoy can be their inspiration for how to show love to others.
Jesus replied: “‘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. Matthew 22:37-39
It’s so easy for M to think the world revolves around him. The same goes for me. “But I WANT…” is a common phrase heard around here. By memorizing Matthew 22:37-39 and discussing ways we can love other people we are helping him understand more and more that others are just as loved by God as we are. Focusing on loving others helps me as well with not getting so full of myself that I forget about others. Some other things we’ve done with our sons to love our neighbors are picking up garbage, giving snacks to garbage workers, praying for the people in houses we see on walks, and writing uplifting chalk messages.
We always get more out of caring for others than if we were to just care about ourselves. I can invite others into what I’m doing to serve others to bless even more people. I posted on my neighborhood’s social media page for help in discovering who had recently moved in. I got more responses than I expected. Even though those people weren’t getting the gift they were still eager to point me in the direction of new neighbors. I made a new friend and one generous neighbor had the idea of putting my son’s names up in her window for us to find on our walks. She later gave us some iSpy books as well. When we’re done with the books I’m sure we will pass them on to other kids. Chains of kind acts can be a glimmer of what the world could look like if everyone would make the effort to face out, towards others, more often.
Lord,
May we see everyone as you see them - created and loved by You. Give us the courage to face out and the inspiration on how to love others well.
Amen.