By Brandi Miller, Local Missions, RockPointe Church
Second graders get it. They don’t need to read several books on how to do it, they don’t make it complicated or over-think it, they just do it.
“Want to swing on the swings with me?”
It’s funny to think that being a missional neighbor was somewhat innate to us as a second grader. It wasn’t complicated.
The value we once placed on taking time to connect with others has been hijacked by 3-car garages, the household taxi and curbside pickup. The conveniences we’ve created, and the busyness of our lives have brought us to a place where knowing our neighbor has become optional. We simply pull in our garages at night and shut the door to the world outside.
The headlines today scream story after story of loneliness, disunity, hopelessness, and lostness. There is a hurting world all around us and we are losing the beautiful simplicity of knowing and loving our neighbor. God created us to be in relationship with one another; He placed in our hearts the desire for community.
John 3:16 declares the depth at which God has the world on His heart – that’s everybody, everywhere. He invites us to be a part of what He’s doing as we go – as we go to the mailbox, as we go to the store, as we cheer our kid on at the ballpark or concert hall. Everyday whether at home, work or school we have available to us the adventure of being on mission with Jesus through the joy of loving our neighbor.
In order for us to love our neighbor we have to know our neighbor. We have to consciously fight against the excuse of busyness and instead recall the excitement of the playground. Pull into your driveway instead of your garage and see who stands to your left and right. Our love for the Lord should compel us to change how the headlines read. If God has the world on His heart, it should most definitely be on ours.
The Pastor’s Place features columns written by a different area church leader each month.Call 940-728-8284 for more information.
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