The other day, my husband and I drove by a lot that had recently been cleared by a developer. The problem was, neither of us could remember what had stood there just a few short days before. Was it a home, an apartment building, or a business? We both were amazed at how quickly we could forget a building we passed by on a semi-regular basis.

Later it dawned on me that some of our lives are like that. We don’t make an impression on the people around us and when we move or die, no one will miss us very much. That thought took me back. Would I be remembered by my neighbors? By the people in my church? My friends? Do I stand out? Or am I just part of the background?

God has called us to love our neighbor. That means actively being a part of their lives, saying hello on the street, getting to know them, inviting them into my home. I know I fall short and have vowed to do a better job of being involved in the lives of those around me.

FOR WRITERS
Sometimes we become so focused on reaching the world with our message that we forget we have a mission to love our neighbors, our friends, our family. We pray about how we can get published, but maybe we also should pray about how God can use us to minister to the people who populate our world on a daily basis. An e-mail to a parent, a note to your spouse telling them how much they mean to you, or to your child telling them you noticed something special about them. In the long run, that could mean more than your next publishing credit.