“And how do I know who my neighbors are?”

This question can be a daunting, even haunting one…  when you’re reading it in Haiti!

“You must love God with your whole heart, with all your being and all your strength.  And you must love your neighbor as yourself.”

And just how do I know who my neighbors are?  It’s easy for me to read Jesus’ story and look with disdain on the priest and the Levite for passing by…  when I’m sitting in the comforts of my home…  and the needs are mostly theoretical.

But when I’m in Haiti, the question from this teacher of the Law becomes much more real for me.

I’m surrounded by poverty, hunger, sickness, oppression, need.  Everywhere I look, it stares back at me.  And most people look to me as an answer to their need.

We educate and feed over 500 children here in the village.  We treat over 1000 patients a month at our medical center.  We care for 50 orphans at our children’s home.  All that and more.

But I still ask, “And who is my neighbor?”

I ask it when someone asked me this week to help them fix the tire on their bike.

I ask it when someone asked me this week to help them pay their school fees.

I ask it when someone asked me this week to help them with the cost of their wedding.

I don’t imagine that I’ll ever stop asking.  It’s a complex issue.  What are my cultural biases?  How do I view poverty?  How do I view needs?

But it can also be simple.  Walk in the Spirit.  Listen to His promptings.  Do what He asks?  When the Spirit open your eyes to see a need, it’s time to act.  It’s this simple.

See a need.

Meet a need.

That’s what the Good Samaritan did.

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM