In our apartment building, the laundry facilities are shared. It was laundry day, and all our clothes were dry and ready to be folded. Matching up the socks, one turned up missing – my favorite! Where could it be? Under the bed? No. I felt my heart begin to race a little. My sock was lost. I rushed back down the hallway to the laundry room, looked in the dryer, and there it was. What a relief!
On the way back to my place, I passed my neighbor, Delores. We’re still getting acquainted. I smiled and said hello. She returned my greeting and headed to the elevator.
Here was my new friend, and I barely thought about how she was doing, pleased as I was in finding my sock. I had already wondered if she knew Jesus as Savior. Yet I casually greeted her, and we went our separate ways. Didn’t I care enough to reach out, to try and show love? I was busy. There was laundry to fold.
In Jonah 4:8-11, the prophet Jonah felt indignation when the shade God had provided disappeared, leaving him in the scorching sun. Yet he didn’t show compassion on thousands of people. God might have destroyed them had they not repented of their sin. Jonah missed the point of his trip to Ninevah and the joy of being in step with God.
Something is wrong when we care more about a lost object than a lost person. By my actions, I showed that my priority was me, not my neighbor.
So, what’s it going to be, love for people, or love for our own comfort? Will we be on God’s mission or ours? Let’s pray that we will have open hearts to hear God’s leading in our daily interactions with others.
A Goldilocks Life 