October 20,2025

“LOVE THY NEIGHBOR”

Monday morning to all! Welcome to the first ever blog post for The Homestead Cottage. I don’t know if I’m doing this correctly, but the best way to learn is to just dive right in. Right? Then, of course, cringe when I go back and read what I’ve written. Let’s just hope it gets better with time! My writing that is. So, here goes…stepping out of my comfort zone.

Let me begin by saying, I am, by all accounts, an introvert. Not one to share my innermost thoughts and feelings with anyone but my husband, the dogs, and a journal page. Lately, there has been a tugging on my heart, to share my thoughts and ideas more publicly. I can’t think of a more public way to do this and I do hope I am hearing from God correctly because life lately has been somewhat chaotic, having the feeling of being at the proverbial crossroads. My internal struggles lead me to prayer and my well worn bible, and the recurrent theme seems to be the word OBEDIENCE.

So, this rambling is me being obedient, to find out what God is pushing me to do.

Yesterday, I witnessed something terrible. As I looked out of my kitchen window, I had a very clear line of sight to our nearest neighbor’s house and front yard. The whys and hows of this are a little complicated and too off topic to mention in this post, so I’m going to let that sit there for now. Anyhow, I witnessed a horrible scene that will forever haunt me involving a helpless animal, a gun, and some of the most evil behavior I wish was not permanently etched in my memory. The incident was reported to authorities, but that is as far as I wish to go into details. It seemed important to mention for the purpose of explaining my thoughts and ideas surrounding loving my neighbors, for my neighbors are not lovable or loving. They are not kind, and have caused us many problems over the years. May I also add, to include a bit more context, that we have put up no less than three mailboxes in 10 years, only to have them knocked down. We now only get our mail at the post office.

Hang in there with me, I am getting to a point…

My husband and I have insulated ourselves from most of social situations. Life has thrown us some curve balls and honestly, we’ve been hit by the ball squarely between the eyes on a couple occasions. People are not inherently good and our experiences have taught us to be weary of people in general. However, what can we make of God’s instructions to “Love thy Neighbors”? If we are to be obedient to the word, we must determine what this looks like in action. Not easy for us, but nothing in this life promises ease and comfort in all things.

Today, I chose to love my neighbor by stopping by a new farm store to buy a cinnamon roll to support a young couple’s new endeavor. I chose to make a Facebook post about our local community garden. I chose to help my mom figure out an issue with her vehicle. I also checked in on all of my children this morning. I’m going to choose to find ways to put loving my neighbor into practice. None of this sounds like anything of great impact or importance. However, what if we all took small steps to highlight the good? To be the example of good. Could that help soften the hearts of people who commit horrible acts? Is that too naive? The answer to these questions may not be revealed to me, but I have to ask them. I have to put my actions to the test. It’s not up to me to change the world, but it is up to me to make an effort where I am, and to look for opportunities to be a living example of love and obedience to God.

Signing out for now, have a blessed Monday!

Christy