Who is my neighbor?

 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.“Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10

Last night after a scary incident with a neighbor, my eyes were opened to the truth of this tale.  Again, God humbled me.  Far too many times I'd passed by this neighbor, this child of the King of kings, my sister in Christ, without a word, without a smile, without even a passing glance.  Too many times I treated her as part of the background, going on with my busy life as if she didn't exist, as if she didn't matter.  When I was awoken to a frightening reality, I became very aware of her existence, of her realness.  And God humbled me.  He opened my eyes to see her as He does, His beloved daughter in need of His justice.  

And I wept for her.  I wept for her and for the others whom society (and I) simply walk right on by, for the one's whose cries of pain, whose shouts for justice, truth, and love, are responded to with a closing window.  

LORD, forgive us for ignoring Your children.  Forgive us for becoming so wound up in our agendas that we become blind to the people in our lives.  Forgive us for pridefully thinking of ourselves as better than, of our time too important for them.  Forgive us for ignoring the need of our brother and sister.  Forgive us for not loving as You love.  For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son... Papa, teach us to love like that!