Serving "Neighbors"

Today, with simple interactions, text messages, and quality time, I have helped a few people smile today. These people are family and friends, loved ones. At the end of the day, I realize that that was a form of service. It was the type of service Jesus Christ did during His ministry. My mind went to the concept of "loving thy neighbor," as well as the question, "who is my neighbor?"

I feel that often, especially in a society in which people generally don't know who their neighbors actually are, we translate this biblical sense of "neighbor" to "stranger." While I certainly believe that we must do good for everyone around us, I wonder if we actually do more Christ-like service than we realize.

I am grateful that I could serve a few neighbors today, and that this time those neighbors just happened to be people I really love and care about, family and friends.