Well friends, we are officially Missourians now.  We’re officially unpacked and settled in!  This is good news for me to tell you as I don’t particularly enjoy the disorder of moving.

God, of course, couldn’t wait to use this new opportunity to teach us a lesson.  As we arrived at our new duplex around 9:00 pm, we were astonished to find 3 of our neighbors already helping my parents unload the U-Haul.  I was overwhelmed with appreciation as the loading and unloading are by far my least favorite part of moving.  Alone, this job seemed insurmountable, but with a few extra helping hands, we were done in no time.

But something else struck me as I watched these men go back and forth from the truck, sweat dripping down their faces all to help a neighbor.  Isn’t that what we’re supposed to look like as Christians?  Sweat dripping down our faces as we sacrifice to lend a hand to someone else, expecting nothing in return…  And yet how often do we…do I… interpret the “love your neighbor as yourself” commandment as simply saying hi as I pass by someone in need?  Of course I have my excuses.  “God, you know I would, but I’m running late for this really important thing I’ve had planned with a friend for a whole day now…  I don’t want to let her down.”  But when the tables are turned; when it’s me looking for a helping hand, that hand means more to me than a million half-hearted greetings from passersby.

That moment with our new neighbors spoke volumes.  And it served as a challenge to me to put someone else first, to first look for the need and then fill it.  And in doing so, we’re able to demonstrate to someone the love that Christ has for them.  What greater honor or purpose could we hope for?