Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

A few months ago, when I was in Montana we went to the park to get some energy out before going to the airport to fly home.  I don't dare go to Montana without the little Aunties and Uncle to play with the Grands. So all our visits are filled with lots of kid activities.
 

We were watching the kids play and they started playing with a couple of cuties there.  One was a pre-teen girl and the other was her baby sister that was the same age as Cellie.  I went over to meet the kids' new friends, and the mama bear of the other girls came out of her car to do the same.  We began to visit and became instant friends,  and  ended up exchanging names and phone numbers, because that's what you do when you are at the park for the same reason. ENERGETIC KIDS!



As we were leaving the park Lashae, Charsie, and I all noticed that the car that our new friend (which I will call Precious to keep her name private) had been sitting in, was in horrible shape, I mean HORRIBLE, the worst horrible you can imagine.  We all commented about how we hate HORRIBLE car issues.

 

In the next few weeks, God continually brought the horrible car to Lashae's mind.  When she would be praying or worshiping she would think about that mama and her girls and the horrible car.  Car situations and car troubles have been fresh on all our minds as we have been in quite the car swapping / car buying / car wrecking season lately.  Lashae couldn't imagine how that mama felt loading up her sweet girls and driving around in that HORRIBLE car.

So when God keeps bringing situations to mind and laying people on your heart...He usually has an assignment that He is about to accomplish and He is going to use you to do it, if you are willing to listen and obey.

Lashae met Precious and her youngest daughter one more time at the park, in the following weeks.  They visited and let the kids play and got to know each other a little bit better. It was confirmed in Lashae's heart what God was prompting her to do.

Lashae and Chaney took a crazy leap of faith and bought our beautiful new friend a car.  They just trusted that this is what the Bible means when it says to "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Lashae and Chaney had loved themselves enough to get a car that was safe and reliable for their family, so it would make perfect sense to do that for a park neighbor.
Perfect sense in the kingdom of God that is.

Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 We went to buy the car on Saturday while I was there this last time, then on Sunday, Lashae set up a "play date" at the park, so we could visit and let the kids play and
 give Precious her new car!!!!

 

  It was AWESOME!
 I can't convey the JOY that we all felt to be a part of something so special; God had brought us all together for such a blessed event.

 


 After the excitement had settled down, we were just enjoying the moment and the sunshine; words were few, as we were all just taking in the goodness of God.  After a few minutes Precious could not contain herself another second and she just sat right down on Lashae's lap.  It was the sweetest thing you have ever seen. We all just burst in laughter. 



We went to the DMV on Monday and got all the paperwork handled and handed the keys and the title over to Precious.  We prayed and blessed our friend and her car and gave God all the praise and glory for all He had done.

 

God is a blast! He is alive and active, in our lives! He is good! He cares!   He is generous!  He is kind!  He allows His sons and daughters the joy of being a part of all of this when we listen and obey and love HIM and trust HIM to use us to LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR as ourselves.

Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe^[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.