“Who is my neighbor?” a church leader asked. Jesus responded with a story that revealed a problem of the pious, their prejudice against anyone not like them, including people of different descent, religion, political perspective, and lifestyle.

At the same time, Jesus assigned the story a hero, one of the “different,” who encountered the same hurting and helpless human the church leaders had ignored. By the time he arrived, the man’s body had languished beside the road, his wounds festering while the pious skulked by. Swallowing any nausea at the sights and smells, the hero gave no thought to his own convenience, comfort, or safety. He didn’t stop to wonder if he had the right skills or offer to add the man to his prayer list. Instead, he looked with compassion and loved like a neighbor, perhaps praying all the while.

This story has been on my mind frequently in recent weeks and days. Concerned that government and Christian organizations may be prevented from reaching out to helpless and hurting humans in my home and other countries, I’ve wondered: “What does it mean to love like a neighbor, as a citizen, a Jesus follower, and an individual?“

Experiences being loved like a neighbor as one of the “different” in China provide some answers to my question. Other ideas come from the work U.S. government and various non-profit entities engage in around the world. Below is the start to a list of some of the things neighbors offer in love to hurting and helpless humans from all backgrounds, beliefs, lifestyles, and languages.

• food for the hungry
• an invitation into their lives and homes to people hungry for relationship
• childcare
• healthcare
• prenatal care
• feminine hygiene products
• fistula repair
• prevention of blindness
• vaccinations for diseases like polio
• mosquito nets and malaria medicine
• human deworming medication
• control of viruses that have pandemic potential
• HIV prevention and control
• mental health services
• refuge in a new country from war, persecution, injustice, violence, poverty…
• economic development
• English classes and job skills training
• opportunities for jobs and education
• housing
• advocacy
• freedom from slavery and sex trafficking
• peacebuilding
• time
• attention
• a listening ear
• effort to communicate
• words of encouragement
• friendship
• adoption into their family
• a smile, a hand to hold, a gentle pat on the back, a warm hug
• heartfelt cries to the Father
• Jesus

What would you add?

Image by falco from Pixabay