Love Thy Neighbor!

“His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things.” Mat 25:23

Recently Shane Claiborne came to campus and spoke. To paraphrase one of the things he said: we are all ready to save the starving children in Africa, but no one wants to do the dishes. And how right he is! How often do we ignore our next door neighbor when they are struggling? How often do we walk by a friend who is struggling and not care at all how they are feeling?
How can we hope to help people half way around the world when we can't even help our friends? How can we expect to promote world justice when we aren't even just to the person who sits next to us in class? You may think I am being harsh, you may think I am wrong, but I cant tell you how many students have told me at one point or another that they feel ignored, unloved. I am not speaking in theory, I am speaking from experience doing ministry on campus.
I pray that the Holy Spirit may burn within us that we may learn to love our immediate neighbor as ourselves, that we may treat one another justly. Let us be faithful in little, even just recognizing that others on campus exist, to just say “hi how are you?” and really mean it. How can we expect to make any impact on world justice if we don't even truly care for our friends?
Lord, we are all miserable sinners who cannot even love our friends. May you so move in us and grant us grace that we can not only love our friends but also the others who we do not see daily. Grant us a spirit of humble love and grace that we may serve you without grumbling. To God be the Glory forever and ever! Amen!