Numbers 4:1 – 5:31, Mark 12:18-37, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 10:26
A few weeks ago in church, Pastor Scott gave us a list of about 5 things we could do that week, but the only one I can remember is "Serve your neighbor." I choose this one because it identified a sin that I have been dealing with for months now. This is going to sound totally childish (because it really is,) but I have beef with one of my neighbors. There is not assigned parking in my community, but everyone has their known spots. I have pretty much parked in the same spot for the last three years. A couple years ago, D and I parked one spot over from our usual spot (where my mini-cooper neighbor parks.) We left, came back, and they had actually out their patio furniture in their spot to block anyone (us) from parking there. My blood boiled. Since then, no problems. It's cool. You park in your spot, I'll park in mine. Sometimes when we see each other we will say hi, sometimes I'm just totally ignored. Whatever. So…(I know this is a venting saga, but giving you the background) in January, my neighbor to the right (parking spot) no longer needed to park there, so my neighbor came up to me once while shoveling snow, telling me that I could move over one spot to the right, to take his parking spot. I told her thank you, but I'm good with the spot I have had (for the past three years.) Before I knew it, her car was in my spot, forcing me to park one over. Blood boiled again (#firstworldproblems). I know this is totally childish and dumb, and I am not one to harbor feelings like this, but for weeks my sin and my anger got a hold of me.
The week that Pastor Scott challenged us with serving our neighbor, I knew that was what I had to do. Even though I have never wronged her, I have always been polite and civil when seeing her, my mind and heart were totally opposite. That week of the challenge, I honestly didn't do anything to serve them. But I took the challenge to start praying for them, and pray that God would change my heart. The issue was not the parking spot, but the condition of my heart that is sinful. In yesterday's reading, Jesus is challenged by the leaders of the Jewish people, the Sadducees, and asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (Mark 12:28) A note of the context: In Exodus, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, which were the basis of the law. They were so revered in Hebrew culture that they lived in the Ark of the Covenant, and were basically the first commands. The rest of the Pentateuch gave more commands (hundreds as we have been reading,) but the 10 commandments were basically the first. Jesus responded basically by saying that before not stealing, or honoring your father and mother, "The FIRST of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ones. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)
On my Twitter account, I describe myself, "New Mexican in Connecticut…Starbucks Partner…UNM Lobo…Tennis, food, and drink Enthusiast…Christ Follower and Lover." I proclaim and identify myself as a believer…a Lover of God. But these two commandments go hand-in-hand. I cannot proclaim to be a believer without loving my neighbor (literally.) I kinda still care about the principle of the parking spot, but I'm not angry or annoyed anymore. I know how stupid I was in my mind and heart, and I have already seen change. One morning at 630 I was getting in my car to go to work, I looked over and she was sitting in her car. I smiled and we both mouthed "Good Morning." Sigh. I am still a work in progress (major piece or work in progress,) but God is dealing with me. I know I need to love others, show my love to others, and then God's love will shine through me.
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