Jessica Guinn Mark 12:31, “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
As children, most of us were taught several principles that were meant to carry us through to adulthood. There are many phrases and Scriptures that I recall my parents quoting throughout my childhood in order to build a Christ-like character of love inside of me.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
“To have friends, one must show himself friendly.”
Somewhere along the way, it seems that many of these principles become harder and harder to live. You see, our biggest enemy while we were learning these principles was the child down the street who broke our favorite crayon. The longer we live the more problems we incur, and the more we look at those around us as the enemy.
The word “neighbor” in Mark 12:31 is not referring to just the people who live in the house next door to us. The word literally means, “fellow man;” “any other man that you meet.” It means that we are to love those who love us and those who don’t. Those who are friendly, and those who rarely ever speak. Those who would lend a hand to help you in time of need, and those who would keep walking and never look back. Those who a rich, poor, clean, dirty, generous, or just flat out rude.
Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Last year at Christmas time, our ministry began a new tradition. We chose several families and individuals from our community to minister to. We delivered homemade baked goods, food, and gift cards, among other items. At some homes, we just spent time loving on them and reminding them that they were not alone during the holiday season.
We all agreed on every home that we would visit, except for one! Brenda suggested that we go see a family that, just to be honest, was our enemy! For several years they had gone out of their way to be disrespectful, mean, and hateful to several of us in the ministry, and we were all a little more than bitter about it. We all avoided them at all costs because being nice just didn’t seem to cut it, so when Brenda mentioned this house we all strongly voiced our opinions! As you can imagine, she didn’t budge.
As we pulled up in their driveway, we were still filled with negativity and much hesitation. The four of us walked up on their porch and Brenda began to knock on their door with gifts in hand. A moment passed and silence fell. You know the kind of silence where you know someone is home, but they’re hiding and waiting on you to go away. “Let’s go,” we said. “They know it’s us, and they’re not going to come to the door.”
She knocked again, a little louder. Still, more silence. “Just leave their package by the door. They’re not going to answer.”
A third time she knocked, but this time more forcefully. I turned to take a step off of the porch and the door flew open! My heart fell to my feet when I saw the look of fury on the face of the one who stood at the door, not saying a word.
Brenda proceeded with the gentlest words, “Hi! I’m Brenda and these are some of the staff members of our ministry. We are just out delivering gifts and sharing the love of Jesus during this Christmas season. We have some cookies here for you that our staff made, and a ham! Ma’am, we brought you some clothes that we think might be your size, and we have a couple of gift cards here that we would like for you use to buy your three children’s Christmas presents. We know it’s hard, especially this time of year, but we hope that these small gifts will help in some way. We love you, and Jesus loves you so much and He cares about your needs. That’s why He sent us your way. We are neighbors, and we are here for you if you ever need us for anything at all!”
At that moment the most beautiful thing happened. The look of wrath and hatred melted away with tears as she buried her face in Brenda’s chest. To be honest, she was almost speechless and so were we. She knew the frustration and grief she and her family had caused most of us for so long. In that moment, she saw true, genuine love. It was the kind of love that knows no boundaries, grudges, or heartache. She had, probably for the first time in her life, witnessed face to face the love that Christ commands from us.
Over the last year, our relationship with this family has taken an about face. The family who once glared with anger now smiles and waves at the sight of any one of us. Now when we see them, we all stop to chat. They have sent thank-you notes and shown their gratitude in several ways, and they have become a pleasure rather than an affliction. None of that would have happened had our leader not loved like Christ and treated others they way she wanted to be treated.
It is amazing what can happens when we push our prejudices, hatred, and resentments aside and simply love your neighbor as yourself. Take time this holiday season to seek out those who are not so easy to love and love them as yourself. It may take years, but I’m sure you will find that love covers a multitude of sins. It will be well worth your time!
As children, most of us were taught several principles that were meant to carry us through to adulthood. There are many phrases and Scriptures that I recall my parents quoting throughout my childhood in order to build a Christ-like character of love inside of me.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
“To have friends, one must show himself friendly.”
Somewhere along the way, it seems that many of these principles become harder and harder to live. You see, our biggest enemy while we were learning these principles was the child down the street who broke our favorite crayon. The longer we live the more problems we incur, and the more we look at those around us as the enemy.
The word “neighbor” in Mark 12:31 is not referring to just the people who live in the house next door to us. The word literally means, “fellow man;” “any other man that you meet.” It means that we are to love those who love us and those who don’t. Those who are friendly, and those who rarely ever speak. Those who would lend a hand to help you in time of need, and those who would keep walking and never look back. Those who a rich, poor, clean, dirty, generous, or just flat out rude.
Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Last year at Christmas time, our ministry began a new tradition. We chose several families and individuals from our community to minister to. We delivered homemade baked goods, food, and gift cards, among other items. At some homes, we just spent time loving on them and reminding them that they were not alone during the holiday season.
We all agreed on every home that we would visit, except for one! Brenda suggested that we go see a family that, just to be honest, was our enemy! For several years they had gone out of their way to be disrespectful, mean, and hateful to several of us in the ministry, and we were all a little more than bitter about it. We all avoided them at all costs because being nice just didn’t seem to cut it, so when Brenda mentioned this house we all strongly voiced our opinions! As you can imagine, she didn’t budge.
As we pulled up in their driveway, we were still filled with negativity and much hesitation. The four of us walked up on their porch and Brenda began to knock on their door with gifts in hand. A moment passed and silence fell. You know the kind of silence where you know someone is home, but they’re hiding and waiting on you to go away. “Let’s go,” we said. “They know it’s us, and they’re not going to come to the door.”
She knocked again, a little louder. Still, more silence. “Just leave their package by the door. They’re not going to answer.”
A third time she knocked, but this time more forcefully. I turned to take a step off of the porch and the door flew open! My heart fell to my feet when I saw the look of fury on the face of the one who stood at the door, not saying a word.
Brenda proceeded with the gentlest words, “Hi! I’m Brenda and these are some of the staff members of our ministry. We are just out delivering gifts and sharing the love of Jesus during this Christmas season. We have some cookies here for you that our staff made, and a ham! Ma’am, we brought you some clothes that we think might be your size, and we have a couple of gift cards here that we would like for you use to buy your three children’s Christmas presents. We know it’s hard, especially this time of year, but we hope that these small gifts will help in some way. We love you, and Jesus loves you so much and He cares about your needs. That’s why He sent us your way. We are neighbors, and we are here for you if you ever need us for anything at all!”
At that moment the most beautiful thing happened. The look of wrath and hatred melted away with tears as she buried her face in Brenda’s chest. To be honest, she was almost speechless and so were we. She knew the frustration and grief she and her family had caused most of us for so long. In that moment, she saw true, genuine love. It was the kind of love that knows no boundaries, grudges, or heartache. She had, probably for the first time in her life, witnessed face to face the love that Christ commands from us.
Over the last year, our relationship with this family has taken an about face. The family who once glared with anger now smiles and waves at the sight of any one of us. Now when we see them, we all stop to chat. They have sent thank-you notes and shown their gratitude in several ways, and they have become a pleasure rather than an affliction. None of that would have happened had our leader not loved like Christ and treated others they way she wanted to be treated.
It is amazing what can happens when we push our prejudices, hatred, and resentments aside and simply love your neighbor as yourself. Take time this holiday season to seek out those who are not so easy to love and love them as yourself. It may take years, but I’m sure you will find that love covers a multitude of sins. It will be well worth your time!
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