In Touch: With Thy Neighbor

Written by
Betty Miller Buttram

“…that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…and you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.” LUKE 10:27

The New Year is upon us, and we probably have made some resolutions for the betterment of our mind, body and heart. Let us reflect for a moment on the nourishment of our souls to become better servants for The Light by helping and showing compassion for those in need of something that as a neighbor we can provide. Go to your Bible and read the story about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37).
What have you brought with you into this New Year? Shake off those grudges; they make you weak and bitter. You want to be strong and you want some peace. Before you assume things about your neighbor, learn the facts. Before you judge your neighbor, understand the reason or reasons for their behavior, and before you hurt their feelings and speak, think about what you might say.

Years ago, in our integrated neighborhood populated with Christians and their children, there was a man who moved to our street of twenty houses. He was not sociable and was mistrustful of his neighbors. He was strange, disgruntled and sometimes he could be mean. We kept our eyes on him, but he also kept his eyes on us. Sometimes arguments between him and the neighbors would erupt when he felt someone was getting too close to his property to do some damage. Things were said and neighbors just gave him all the space he needed.

Then after all the confrontations, he made the decision to become our Neighborhood Watchman. He passed information about unusual happenings on the block and the surrounding housing areas to one of the neighbors whom he decided to trust. Over time, he retired from his Engineering position and became more watchable until his hip replacement operation put limitations on his body and disabled him. The neighbors noticed that his car was missing and a trusted one informed us that he had sold his car and was taking taxis and the Medic Van to all his medical appointments. His groceries were delivered to his home by a local food chain store.

One day, the trusted neighbor became concerned because he had not answered her calls for a few days. He was thoughtful enough to have given that neighbor a key to his house. The key unlocked the door to his passing and his past. He had left a note which stated that all his possessions including his house would be given to his church. We did not know that he was a Christian. We learned that he had emigrated to the United States from Hungary in the 1960s when his country was under the influence of the Soviet Union. He came alone because he had lost his wife, his parents and his siblings. We had judged him to be unsociable and mean only to find out that he had been full of pain.

This story of the neighbor is being shared with you because sometimes misunderstandings and offensive words can lock the door to what could have been.

So, as you go about your busyness for this coming year, remember everybody has a story; have compassion for your brother or sister, be they a stranger, your next-door neighbor, or a favorite charity by showing kindness in a time of need. Only when you feel good about yourself and your well-being will you be able to help your neighbor through his stormy journey. Somewhere, somebody is depending on you to do what God has called you to do.

In Touch is the Fort Wayne Ink Spot's reoccurring section that explores our local churches and their faith, curated, and written by Betty Miller Buttram.