Does love change me? How am I transformed when I love my neighbor?
February 20, 2024
At Bridge of Hope, we frequently hear from moms about how their Neighboring Volunteers are impacting their lives. And it’s not uncommon for us to hear from Neighboring Volunteers something like, “I’m receiving so much more than I am giving in this relationship.”
Neighboring changes us. It impacts who we are and how we see ourselves and God.
When I love my neighbor….
My heart grows a bit more tender towards God.
My hands open with a bit more generosity.
My eyes see with deeper compassion.
When we ask Bridge of Hope Neighboring Volunteers how they have been impacted by walking with a family facing homelessness, here are some responses that we have heard:
– “Serving as a Neighboring Volunteer was a very rewarding experience. I gained a new friend and learned a lot from our Bridge of Hope mother.”
– “As a Neighboring Volunteer, I learned to listen.”
– “I will always be grateful for this opportunity of neighboring. I’ll never be the same.”
– “In Bridge of Hope, I have seen real and lasting relationships develop that are beneficial to everyone involved…. It makes all the difference – for all of us.”
– “Lives are being transformed – for me as a Neighboring Volunteer and for the mom and kids we are now on a journey with!”
Be a neighbor. Open your heart a bit more towards families facing homelessness – and you will find your own life changed, deepened, and modeled in the way of Jesus.
In this season of Lent, here is a prayer you might consider using daily: “Gathering God, draw us out beyond our cramped circles of care. Draw us toward the neighbor, the other, the outsider, the hurting one. May we practice compassion. AMEN.” (from “A Way Other than Our Own: Devotions for Lent” by Walter Brueggemann)
And follow us on social media during Lent for ideas and practices for loving your neighbor.
May we all be transformed by the daily practice of loving our neighbors,
Edith Yoder
Chief Executive Officer
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