The Art of NeighbouringSample

Out of My Comfort Zone What do you feel stops you from reaching out to your community? Once we’ve carved out time to reach out often we become paralyzed by insecurities. Fear, awkwardness, and discomfort stops us from letting neighbors into our lives. On the one hand we worry what people will think of us; we worry about being rejected or mocked. Therefore, our good intentions to reach out and love our neighbors are thwarted before we even begin. Jesus's lifestyle shows once again how we should invite those who are different into our own spaces. All the while He is familiar with being mocked, ridiculed, and rejected. He knows the personal expense it takes to reach out in love while risking rejection. Following Jesus's example, we must overcome barriers to fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor. Thankfully more often than not our insecurities are unfounded. In the majority of cases in a world that is desperate to be loved, authentic acts of kindness are welcomed by those around us. On the other hand, we can also feel awkward or uncomfortable in reaching out to people whose lifestyles are so vastly different to our own, but God’s grace is more than sufficient. Jesus shows us time and time again that even those completely opposite to Him craved nothing more than acceptance and love. This shows the shared, common desire of each and every individual—that of being seen, of being loved, being accepted and authentically so. Jesus has set the precedent for us—that of getting to know people we don't always feel comfortable around, opening our lives to let people in, and talking to people about a God that loves them. Spend some time reflecting on the things that most often hold you back from reaching out to those different than yourself. Take some time to process those feelings and insecurities. Pray and ask Jesus for His grace to take the next step in bridging the gap between you and your neighbors.