“Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ — when you already have it with you.” Proverbs 3:28

I never really knew the neighbors on both sides of our house. The man to the left would occasionally chat in the yard with my husband since they both worked construction. But that was it. We were never really friends. Then barely a year after we’d moved in, the ambulance siren responded to my 9-1-1 call. Now, my husband was gone and I was alone.

At first, both men responded. They mowed my lawn and helped me clear out the garage and organized a sale. (My husband filled the garage with so many tools our cars didn’t fit inside!)  I didn’t know what many of the tools were, or how to price them. Then the women from the neighborhood brought casseroles. The kids on one side swept my driveway. When the house sold, the neighbors on the right invited me to dinner. We had the best time. The wife hugged me with teary eyes and said, “Sorry we didn’t do this sooner.”

How often do we keep people on the peripheral of our lives and assume we’ll get to know them someday? Christ came into the world to give us life, light, and hope. You can be the catalyst to invite your neighbors deeper into your life and offer them the gift of love and hospitality. Don’t wait. You don’t know what tomorrow might bring.

Father in Heaven, you offer us your love through your Son and ask us into your presence. Let us be bold and caring so we can reach out to our neighbors this season and share that gift through simple acts of kindness and fellowship. Amen.

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Tags: invite hospitality