A couple days ago, I was talking with a pastor I really admire about the idea of “active neighboring.”
On the day following a major national election, that concept feels important. How do we show up as active neighbors, not just passive ones?
In the story of the Good Samaritan, the person who becomes a neighbor is the one who stops… and who notices someone hurting. They offer care that requires something… time, attention, resources.
Jesus ends with a simple invitation: “Go and do likewise.”
Shannan Martin (one of my favorite authors) writes about neighboring in her book, Start with Hello: “We see each other. We notice. We wake up ready to care.”
I want to wake up that way.
I want to notice.
I want to be ready to care.
Maybe today that means checking on someone whose worries I haven’t understood. (Maybe someone who had a sign in their yard for the “other team” over the last few months.)
Maybe it means learning the name of someone I pass every day. Asking what would help, and making time for the answer.
We don’t have to feel the same way about the outcome of yesterday’s balloting to take responsibility for how we care for each other today.
The Samaritan showed mercy in action. They brought love to life. They actively neighbored. Go and do likewise.
