1 John 4:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

This past month was Easter. It was a great time to share God’s love with our neighbors.  I have to be honest, I have pretty much been an absentee neighbor, as I have been kept busy with school, work, family, church ministry, and all the excuses for not reaching out as I should have.  Our house sits back on a long gravel road, so unless I make an effort to walk our neighborhood, or reach out on purpose, we truly do not have contact with our neighbors.

I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit, that even during this time of quarantine, I should reach out to my neighbors.  God has truly blessed, and as I walk the neighborhood, people have been working in their yards, and I can connect from 6 feet away.  It has been such a blessing!  

One idea I had to connect with neighbors was to make Easter basket cards, wrap up a flower, and put in a note with our name and phone number and offer assistance where needed.  Prayer, phone conversation, grocery run, mow their yard… anything that can be done remotely.  My grandkids helped put our Easter packages together, and we walked the neighborhood and hung the cards and flowers on screen doors.

In the note we put the ALC website information to invite neighbors to watch the livestreamed service.  What a great response we had!  It is ironic that it took a pandemic and social distancing for me to reach out to my neighbors, but it has been a great connection.  God works in mysterious ways!  So in the coming days let’s all reach out and love one another as the Holy Spirit leads and see God work in incredible ways.

“Let us love one another, for love comes from God”