Neighbors

It is a photo of a townhome-style building with half of the stairs covered in snow and the other half completely cleaned up. There are multiple ways to look at this photo.

First, I can picture the neighbor on the left, getting up early in the morning and seeing that it snowed. He went and got his snow shovel and began to remove the snow from the staircase. He started right outside of his door and when he got halfway across his shared porch, he decided that was enough. He proceeded to continue down the steps, only doing his half of the staircase. When finished, he stood at the bottom and felt as if he did a great job and was finished. He only thought of himself in this situation.

Now, from the perspective of the neighbor on the right. The man on the right woke up bright and early and spotted snow down the shared staircase of his townhome. He remembered that he had to be at work early that day and did not have time to remove the snow from the stairs. Then he also remembered that his neighbor is an elderly couple that went to their doctor appointments each morning. He knew he did not have time to finish all of the steps so he went ahead and did their side only. He wanted his neighbors to be safe and minimize the risk of them falling. In this scenario, the man thought of others before himself.

Which neighbor are you? Which neighbor should you be?

There are many things in life that make us selfish. We are always thinking about what we need to accomplish instead of how we can help others accomplish what they need. Christ commands us to put others first. We are commanded to be humble.

Thinking of others does not take special planning. The task can be a simple task such as fixing your spouse some coffee in the morning, washing a load of clothes for your wife, or mowing the yard for someone who may not be able to. The guy in the first example did not care to take the extra few seconds on each step to remove the snow so his neighbor would be able to walk down the stairs safely. Then, the second guy cared more for the safety of his neighbor that he only completed their side because he was in a hurry to leave.

We need to strive to be Christ-like when we are out in the world. If someone needs help and you are in a situation where you can help them safely, we should do it. When you help others, people notice the great act you have completed. You may change someone’s life through a simple act of kindness. God wants us to treat others as we wish to be treated.

This week, try to help a few people out that need help. Its Thanksgiving week and there will be a lot of people out. Keep an eye out for those who need assistance. Put others first.

God is Good

Philippians 2-3-7: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”