Neighborly Friendship

Neighborly Friendship

The whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Often on weekends, we invite a few of our neighbors over for dinner and games. We’ll grill steaks and potatoes, while they’ll bring some fancy dessert that we’ll savor while we sit and play a lively game of cards. These young men are the unlikeliest of friends—they’re much younger than us, single, in college, and from other countries—and yet they have become so important to our family. We have sometimes wondered if they would think we were too old to be friends with or that we wouldn’t have anything in common. However, as we’ve gotten to know them better, they have commented on how much they like being around our family and children. They miss their own families who are not currently residing in the United States, and being with our family reminds them of home. They have come to treat my husband and me like older siblings to seek out wisdom and advice from, creating bonds between us in unexpected ways.

When it comes to friendship, it can be easy to associate only with others who are like you. Although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, we also don’t want to miss the richness of community that is found with those who are different than we are, whether it be in age, race, culture, or class. We’re commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and Jesus puts no boundaries or limits on who qualifies as our neighbor!

I often wonder what we would have missed if we hadn’t gotten to know these young men, and it makes me sad to think how easily we might have dismissed this opportunity for friendship if we’d been guided by outward appearances. These young men are our unlikely friends, it’s true, but our family has been truly blessed by their friendship.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Begin to look for and grow friendship with someone who is different from you.