Neighbor

One definiton of of neighbor that I found in the dictionary is "a fellow human." Think about that today, that everyone that is human is your neighbor.

Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Luke 10:25-37

So to be a little challenging today, what would you do if there was a muslim laying on the side of the road that needed your help? Think of someone that you have a prejudice against and put yourself in the place of the person walking by and think about what you would do? I know that most of us think, "I would never pass anyone by on the street that was hurting!" However, how do you react to the person in line in front of you that needs that little extra change to pay their bill and you are frustrated? What are you thinking about them, especially if they are a person of another culture or race? I think that we all have a tendency to not think of EVERY human being as our neighbor. Imagine what would happen in your community, your state, your world, the entire world, if everyone treated every human being as their neighbor. Treat people kindly, this is what Jesus is not only saying to this religious scholar, but to each of us. We must go and do the same. Treat everyone, every neighbor, every human being that you come in contact with today with kindness. Attempt to drop any thoughts you have about anger or judgement towards them. Remember that they hurt like you hurt, look for acceptance like you do, and just need to be treated with love and respect like you do. Let your heart go out to your human neighbors today.

Namaste'