Love Your Neighbor

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

I stepped outside my hotel room yesterday and saw a thin elderly woman taking small steps in a circle. She seemed to be mumbling. Our eyes connected. She said, "They left me here and I don't know where they have gone. I don't know what room I am in."

I held out my hand. She grabbed mine. I said, "Let's walk down to the office and see what we can find out." As we walked into the office, an elderly man was walking out. He began to gently scold her, "I told you to stay in the van. You were supposed to be in the van. What are you doing out here?" He thanked me and then explained that she had Alzheimer's.

Was she my responsibility? Was it my moral obligation to stop and help her? She wasn't my mother. Would I have been sinning to just get in my car and drive off?

I wouldn't want to live in a world like that, would you? I see in this passage the dream of a heavenly Father whose children are reasonable and kind and simply do unto others as we would have done unto us. You can't make enough rules to work for every situation. Just be reasonable. Just be kind. Just be decent. Just follow the golden rule.