Tag: neighborhood

Fellowship

Last night we sat around a fire and chatted with some people we love. It was perfect weather and just fun to be in the fresh Spring air and chat about whatever. Or just listen to others chat about whatever.

And two of our grand babies were there so there were lots of extra snuggles involved.

If you have been running and tackling all those things on your list, do not forget to enjoy some fun and fellowship with the people in your life.

God designed us to need connection — both to Him and to one another. Of course, some of us have a higher need to connect than others. So be sure to find a way to balance that if you have some opposites in your home. The fun and encouragement that can come from being together can be life giving!

Reach out to a friend and suggest a time to visit over coffee or take a walk in the park. Share what God is doing in your life — and listen for what is happening in theirs. Or deliver a batch of muffins to a new neighbor and welcome them to the neighborhood. L

ook for the little sprinkles of fellowship that can be added to your day. Be sure to ask God to bless them and the conversation. And thank Him for placing these people in your life!

Hello Friend! Day Twenty-one

Hello Friend!

Are you frustrated with people who don’t seem to care about people? Let’s talk about loving our neighbor and who that person might be.

Step out of where you live and look straight ahead and to your left and your right. Presto bingo! You probably have neighbors — even if you live on a farm in the middle of a big plot of land, you have neighbors. We all do! Start there.

Now, let’s look around at the people who are nearby and involved in our day-to-day lives. That is what I picture when I think of the word neighbor. But that list can expand to co-workers, the people we volunteer next to or go to church with. The coffee barista, the server, the salespeople we encounter during the week. These folks are our neighbors.

When I was growing up in Ohio, we were on a space of land that didn’t have immediate neighbors around the house like I think of a traditional neighborhood. I had always wished we did. When we lived in Nebraska, we lived in a neighborhood that had a yearly block party. That was very new concept to me and I loved it! We had amazing neighbors, some we are still good friends with today!

If you really want to love your neighbor, you can be very literal about it and start with the people across the street or on either side of you. If you live in a duplex or apartment complex, it is probably easier to be annoyed with your neighbors than to love them, but you are called to love. Start somewhere. Take the lead. Maybe you are the one who most recently moved in to your home and would have loved to been welcomed into the neighborhood but weren’t — show love to your neighbors anyway. Sometimes loving means taking the first step in a relationship!

Love your neighbor. You are welcome to expand on the definition of neighbor to include the whole world. That totally works too. Just remember there are a lot of people that need love and grace in this world and they are often right next to you in line, running the cash register, in your office space. As you practice extending love to those you bump into on a regular basis God will surely expand your opportunities to extend love and grace to a greater radius!

If everyone loves their neighbors, the whole world will be a different place!

Love more,
Liz