Welcome to the Neighborhood

"Jesus answered, 'The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.''' Mark 12:29-31

Dear Friends,

I'm so happy to be on the blog with you today! My page today is based on a passage in Mark 12. Jesus was replying to a question- and what was that question? "Which commandment is the most important of all?" (Mark 12:28) Jesus' response was simple. Love God. Love your neighbor. But living that out can be not so simple- at least for me! As I journaled this, I was thinking about what loving God with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength looks like. That's an all encompassing love. That's making God my priority and being in constant fellowship with Him. Wow. Then there's the whole "love your neighbor" thing. Loving people can be hard. Sometimes we're not so lovable. But that's not an excuse, is it? I am constantly praying that God will help me love others. That He will help me see them through His eyes. That's how I am going to draw others to Him- through love. That's how others are going to see Him- through love. Wow. And who is my "neighbor"? My family and friends? Yes. People who live close to me? Yes. The cashier at the grocery store? Yes. Someone from a different background or one who doesn't think/believe what I do? Yes. The person reading my Facebook or Instagram post? Yes. Wherever they might be in the world? Yes. Again, wow. Our neighborhood is a little larger than we may initially think. What we post online can reach people we don't even know. Do those posts show His love? When we're rushed at the store, are we showing His love? I pray that I am. And I pray that you are too. I think if we, the church, really loved as He calls us to, so many would be drawn to Him. 

For the page, I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Love Your Neighbor, Send Me, and Worthy King. I used watercolor crayons to color the page. The banners are made with address labels that I cut into banners.

 Have a blessed week! Andrea