We enjoyed a week in Phoenix with our Splendid Friends — our almost twenty year old couple’s group. Thank you again to Chuck and Kay, our snowbird couple, for hosting all of us!

The Phoenix weather wasn’t wonderful for March, but it sure beat the huge Colorado snowstorm swirling to our north.  I snapped these pictures after returning home. The snow had been melting and evaporating for three days already!

We are so thankful for our neighbors for their text-shared pictures and updates. Bill next door who is married to Sue (Yup Bill and Sue live right next door to Bill and me!) has the heart of a servant. Knowing we were away, he brought over his pickup equipped with a plow and cleared our 300′ long driveway. What a gift! Had he not done that we would have been traipsing through close to hip deep snow to get to our house.

Back to Phoenix. Sunday morning we all attended Chuck and Kay’s church. Pastor Chuck (another Chuck) was speaking on prayer and encouraged all of us to pray everyday until Easter, “Lord, empower me to love.” Our neighbors loved us well while we were gone. Truly we had no expectations of them plowing our driveway.

Pastor Chuck’s suggestion reminded me of another thought on love that was voiced during our Sunday School zoom class in Colorado earlier that morning.

The topic of enemies came up. Tom spoke up. Loving our enemies can only happen if we let go of our expectations of them to perform. We need to release them from our expectations.

Our neighbors are not our enemies. But sometimes they disappoint; as I know I sometimes disappoint them. I’m praying for myself, Lord, help me to release them from my expectations and empower me to love.

Romans 13:9 and 10 shares this principle, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

“Your love for one another will prove to the world
that you are my disciples.”
John 13:35, NLT

Copyright: Sue Tell, April 2021