Deuteronomy 22: A Good Neighbor

"If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; make sure you return it to your brother.  If your brother does not live near you or you don't know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him."

Deuteronomy 22:1-2

I've actually been in this situation quite recently.  When the terrible storms ravished northern Alabama in April of this year, my wife and son and I emerged from our home the next morning to find a stray dog happily trotting up our driveway.  The collar had no tag, so we didn't know to whom he belonged.  We put a leash on him, walked him around the neighborhood to ask our neighbors if they knew him, and eventually ended up keeping him in our front yard until his owners showed up.

I bring this story up, not to show something that I did right, but rather to show the effect that it had.  The neighbors were an elderly couple whose children had moved away decades ago, and whose only at-home companion was this dog.  They were extremely grateful that we had fed him and given him water, and even more so that we had put so much effort into making sure he was returned to his owners.

The dog had gotten loose because the storms knocked so many trees over in our neighborhood, many of which did serious damage to property.  Even though this couple had multiple trees fallen on the roof of their home, their outdoor shed, and their two backyard fences, they spent their entire morning searching for this dog before they even called their insurance company.

Living animals are more important than other types of property for many reasons, which don't really need to be explained here.  The point is that a neighbor who has lost an animal needs your help every bit as much as a neighbor whose house is on fire (or knocked around by a tornado, as the case may be).

Question of the Day:

When you see a neighbor's animal loose, what do you do to help?  When your neighbor has any other need, what do you do to help?

Prayer of the Day:

Thank You for giving me the chance to help a neighbor reunite with his dog earlier this year.  Thank You for keeping my family and home safe during the storms so that we were in the right mindset to help others instead of worrying about ourselves.  Thank You for the way You brought the people of this whole community together in that tragic event, and for letting me see Your work as neighbors helped people they'd never known before.  Help us to keep that mindset always.  Help us to be good neighbors to all those we come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.  Amen.