“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day in the neighborhood. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?” Stored in my long-term memory from childhood is this toon that Mr. Rogers would sing on his television show as he changed his shoes to prepare to take us kids on some adventure.
I am often not near as neighborly as Mr. Rogers (or as optimistic and kind). Yet that is exactly what Jesus commands us to do in the second of the great commandments. First, we are to love God, and then we are to love our neighbor wholeheartedly. Our neighbor…not just the people next door, but your spouse, your children, your coworkers, your friends, and your enemies! Love them; all of them.
Loving others is not an option or a suggestion; it is a commandment. Like Mr. Rogers, we are to be kind and compassionate while serving and ministering to them. Who is God identifying in your life as the neighbor that you need love? What makes it hard to do this? What might it mean to them if you follow through with God’s command? Go ahead – give it a shot.