On one side of our house in Kampala, we have another lovely MAF family living. They graciously return things my children launch over our shared garden wall (balls, tennis raquets, shoes) and will still invite us around for some cake :)
Our other wall borders a group of smaller, Ugandan homes. They have lots of noisy chickens, a baby that cries all night and sometimes they burn their garbage just as we are sitting down to dinner. Better still, there is a huge boarding school on the corner - where the pitter-patter of little feet and clanging of wash basins starts at 5:15am, just as the call to prayer from the mosque below starts resonating up the hill and through my bedroom window.
There are plenty of mornings when it would be easy to be annoyed while I chug sip my third cup of coffee - but I think it is actually easier to love my neighbours.
These are my people, the people I’m doing life with at this very moment. How can I shut them out when God so clearly asks me to love them, despite things I view as inconvenient. It would be easier if we were all the same and could get along no matter what - if my neighbours were all polite Canadians and we sat around apologizing, sipping coffee and sharing maple dipped doughnuts.
BUT, we are all uniquely woven, wonderfully made in His perfect image: black, white, Christian, Muslim, rich, poor old and young. We are called to love each other, and if we love Him first, surely the rest will follow. God came to earth and walked among his people, especially those who he called the least of these…
Sometimes all we need to do to love our neighbours is open our doors and open up our hearts. Sometimes its as simple as a smile and a wave or 3 bucks worth of ice cream, a skipping rope and a game of basketball. And sometimes, its a little bit harder - but let’s pull up a chair, pass out the coffee and embrace our differences. God doesn’t make mistakes, and we are in this together. Maybe all being the same would be easier, but it would not allow much room for us to grow and develop the LOVE that Christ came to model for us. Our differences are what make us unique, challenge us to stretch, and ultimately help us to develop His character.
“We cannot love God and despise people” - Beth Moore
"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. Leviticus 19:18
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