faithMile

In church today, our guest pastor told us the story of his wife’s difficult pregnancy. She started having contractions at 13 weeks and called her husband because she was afraid it was the beginning of a miscarriage. Her husband called his friends over to the house and all of them (more…)

When I was younger, I used to say that if I were a millionaire, I would start a charity that helps people with the little things in life, like paying overdue electric bills or rent. I noticed that most charities and the state welfare system only seemed to help people in dire circumstances, and that a lot of people were stuck in the middle because they had a difficult time with their finances, but weren’t bad off enough to receive help. I wanted to fill that gap and help people so that they didn’t have to become destitute. It looks like I’m not the only one who had that idea. Modest Needs is a charity that does just that. People from around the country donate money and other people from around the country receive it. The money can be used for past due bills, medical necessities, car fixes and any other expense that may cause a temporary financial setback.

Jesus said that loving our neighbor was the second most important commandment. Many believe that loving our neighbor means to be kind and forgiving toward others. It occurred to me while browsing the invisible children site that Jesus meant a different kind of love.

The concept of love in the modern west is that love is a feeling, an emotion or an attitude. If that is the case, then kindness and forgiveness are an accurate interpretation, and I’m sure that they represent a part of the love in the scripture. However, I think that Jesus meant an active kind of love. A love that does for your neighbor what you would do for youself. For instance, of course you will use the paycheck you get from work to feed yourself and your family. But will you also make sure that another family is fed? You will see to it that you have shelter, but will you also shelter others? You want to preserve your rights and seek justice when you find yourself in precarious situations, but will you fight for justice in situations that have nothing to do with you? The love of neighbor that Jesus spoke of is the love of activism. It gives to those who don’t have and stands up for those who can’t. It is the type of love in which no one is in need as long as you have resources. Of course, you or I can’t save the world alone, but we can do our part. If everyone did just a little for their neighbor, what would our world be?