Just Nine Doors
Down
Karen
Ehman
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all
your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is
this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than
these.'" Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
In the two years since we'd moved into our new
neighborhood, I'd seen her on my walks. Sometimes she was rolling her trash
can
out to the curb. Or in her front yard watering her flowers. I'd smile and
say
"Hi" for a brief second.
After all, my neighborhood is big; my life is busy.
So
I'd pop my headphones back in and keep walking to my house, just nine doors
down.
Awhile back, there were flashing
lights, sirens and all things alarming in our neighborhood. A fire,
maybe? ... I thought as I drove into my neighborhood, returning from an
errand-running venture. My mama's heart raced. My 12-year-old son was home
alone. Had he burnt some toast and set the smoke alarm system blaring?
Or
worse?
As my car approached, I saw it was not my house, but
another house nine doors down. Relief for my soul.
And though the rescue vehicles were parked in front
of my
nine-doors-down neighbor's house, no fire appeared to blaze there
either.
Must have been a false
alarm, I reasoned to myself.
Two days later, I heard the awful news. No fire. No
smoke. Just a terribly saddened soul.
You see, just nine doors down, something happened in
the
mind of my nameless, flower-watering, smile-and-say-hello fellow human
being.
Something told her this life wasn't worth living anymore. And she
agreed.
Now her heart no longer beats. Her flowers still
grow,
but she can't water them anymore. I can still walk by her house, lost deeply
in
the Jesus-music blaring on my iPod. Staring straight ahead. Rushing to the
next
thing on my to-do list for the day.
Nine doors down, there will be no more hand-waves. No
smiles as I stroll by. And no more thoughts of, I should stop and find
out
her name. I haven't really met this gal yet. If I'd reached out and
befriended her, would she have seen Jesus in our
friendship?
Could we have walked the neighborhood streets
together?
Maybe gone for coffee to get to know each other a bit? Would a glimpse of
the
perfect God in the life of an imperfect me perhaps beckoned her to have a
relationship with Him, too? Would she have found God's purpose and peace
instead
of finding a way to end her emotional pain?
God only knows.
I am a woman who wants to love God, but so often I am
too
busy to really love the people He puts plainly in my path. But this love, as
today's key verse declares, is more important than all the sacrifices we
could
make.
I cannot beat myself up. But I can do something. So
can
you. We can pause, permitting God to tap us on the heart, gently interrupt
us
and rearrange our day.
We can go deeper ... beyond a hurried "Hi!" to an
authentic, "How are you?" When God knocks on our hearts, we can knock on
their
doors.
Will you do it? Will you try? Then once you've
reached
out, leave the results to God. Our job is obedience. God's job is
results.
Trust me, it is AWFUL to get to know your neighbor
through the tales and tears of her relatives at a memorial service. I wish I
had
made the time and gotten to know her personally.
May we all respond to those taps on our hearts today
and
not ignore them. God just may use us as He saves a life.
After all, remember it isn't that far of a walk ...
just
nine doors down.
Dear Lord, I want to be aware of the
times You tap my heart, asking me to
reach
out to someone. May I pay attention and respond, so they might know You. In
Jesus' Name, Amen
Have a Blessed Weekend...
Richard
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