You will never look into the eyes of someone God does not love.” – unknown
At SSM Health, we offer all who come to us the reassurance that we believe all people are created in the image and likeness of God and deserving of compassion, respect, and a sense of belonging. So, within our own walls, when this month’s Year of Kindness Challenge asks us to extend kindness to our neighbor, we don’t have to look far. Our neighbors are those who come through our doors and are standing in front of us in need – and we are blessed with many, many team members who are committed to selfless service. But what happens beyond our health ministries?
We are living through a tumultuous time in a world that is deeply divided and increasingly polarized. Two people living right next door to each other can seem worlds apart when discussing differing views on divisive issues such as immigration, religion, race, and more. As we struggle to find understanding and common ground, we can easily lose sight of our common humanity. Remembering to perform any acts of kindness, let alone extra acts of kindness, can feel extremely difficult.
So, when Jesus instructs us in Luke 10:27 to “love your neighbor as yourself,” we might ask the same question as with our August kindness prompts: who is my neighbor? To help us reflect on this question as we continue our Year of Kindness Challenge, Patrick McCruden, Chief Mission Integration Officer, offers some invaluable and inspiring lessons from the parable of the Good Samaritan:
With these lessons, may we be reminded that being kind to our neighbor is not restricted to the person or people next door – nor is it something we should leave to others to do. We can demonstrate God’s love and compassion to all who cross our paths, whomever and wherever they may be – even if we don’t agree or have very little in common with them. It is up to us to be kind and help others.
We encourage you to join us – check out our August Year of Kindness prompts below and focus on putting kindness into our actions with our neighbors!
| August 5 – 11 | Initiate a conversation with a neighbor. Sometimes a little human interaction can make a person’s day. |
| August 12 – 18 | Lend a hand. Simple act of kindness such as bringing in your neighbor’s trash bins, carrying something heavy, mowing the lawn, feeding a pet, or letting them borrow a tool can mean more than we know. |
| August 19 – 25 | Share food. When you’re making food for yourself, stop and think ‘could I make a little extra and share it with my neighbor?’ |
| August 26 – September 1 | Leave a nice note for one of your neighbors. This can be a letter of encouragement or just a sweet and simple message! Surprise them by putting it in their mailbox or on their car’s windshield. |
