Do not
seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your
neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)
Once while cleaning up a Sunday School room at my church, I came across a child’s lesson. In their innocent child-like way they had written in crayon, “Love Your Nabor.”
I smiled as
I read it but was struck by something deeper in those simple words. While the spelling
might not have been perfect, it was pristine of heart revealing the simple and
trusting faith of a child.
As I
considered it, if my choice were to live next to a nabor who got a D in spelling
but graduated with a circumcised heart for God, I would choose them over any neighbor with a degree that came with a heart of flint. I have lived with both
kinds of people, and I have always preferred the nabor.
Jesus taught
that unless we are converted and become as little children, we will not enter
the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:3). We must put off continued anger, resentments,
grudges, or getting even. These things will eat at us and destroy our peace. If
trust is an issue, remember trust is also a choice. Yes, it is possible to be
hurt again, but it is also possible to find healing and reconciliation through its
embrace. These good returns cannot be achieved without it. This was a mainstay
in the teaching of Jesus Christ in trust and forgiveness (Luke 17:4).
If we are to
love like a child, we must approach the Lord in the innocence of child-like
faith. He wants us to approach Him in a spirit of humility, and loving trust.
He is much less interested that we know how to spell ‘neighbor,’ as that we
practice being one.
Maranatha,
Ken
