“Would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?” Yes, it is Mr. Rogers! Believe it or not, this is what I woke up with. So why, Mr. Rogers always irritated me. He moved so slow that my “get it done” personality was on to the next thing before he could get his sweater off. But there is something about ‘neighbor’ God wants me to look at.
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.””
So, “put off falsehood,” “speak truthfully!” Demonstrate my love for others by caring for their life as much as I care for mine. This is how I become a good neighbor to those around me. As I look over my relationships, I see this to be overly true! So many times I have been accused of not caring or understanding because I could not bring myself to agree with the choices in someone’s life. Nor could I pretend it was O.K. I knew that if they continued on their path a great deal of pain and brokenness was ahead. I could not remain silent or turn a blind eye toward the enemy’s plan. Often, if not usually, my friend, my neighbor would choose to separate themselves from the relationship in order to protect their choice, leaving a volume of excuses protecting the unexposed lies! But on the flip side, when they get tired of the destruction and the lies that work it, they reach out, reconnect to hear Truth…so they call! Somewhere deep inside they know what the Word is telling all of us, “Truth and Love are partners. And no matter where you go or what you do, those who love you enough to speak Truth will always be there to Love.”
For me, I want to be surrounded by those I can trust to speak truth, to me and about themselves. If I desire Truth in my inmost being, and I love you as much as I love myself, would I not desire Truth in your inmost being? I for one believe that Truth….sets us free!
I am tired of a “you can only make me feel good” society. And particularly, tired of demanding relationships that seek only their own comfort! I am a person who loves deep! And that love desires good things for those I give my heart to. I will not work with the enemy to cover up his destructive, deceptive ways…NO, I care more about a person’s freedom than their liking me!
Having said all that…. “would you be mine, will you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?”