Why do we have bodies and what are they for? 🤔

Our bodies are for our neighbors. 💝

When we think about loving our neighbors, it's easy to want to dodge the hard parts. 🏃‍♂️

We might prefer to care about issues happening far away rather than dealing with the messy relationships right in front of us (because it doesn’t take as much work). 🌍

But love has a specific shape – it looks like sacrifice, like Jesus on the cross. ✝️

Our first neighbors are the people God has specifically placed in our lives through vocations: our family, our classmates 🏫, the people you interact with daily.

These are often the most challenging relationships because we see their sins up close (and they see ours 🫣).

It's much easier to love people from a distance or through social media, where there's no real sacrifice required. 📱

But here's the thing: when we spend all our energy on distant causes while neglecting those close relationships, the people who should be receiving our time and attention end up paying the price. ⚖️

Our families miss out when we're busy being angry on the internet. 😠

The good news is that Jesus shows us what real love looks like. ❤️

He had compassion on everyone — both Jews and Gentiles — and backed it up with action. 🤝

Every miracle He performed was a down payment on undoing sin, pointing toward His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. 🙏

When we're wondering who our neighbor is, ask: "Is this someone for whom Christ died?" (Hint: The answer is always yes.) ✨

This means loving people who are different from us, and sometimes even harder, loving people who are just like us. 🌈

Your role isn't to pay the price for their forgiveness — Jesus already did that. 💫

Instead, you get to point them to hope and forgiveness, over and over again, because love isn't a one-time transaction. It's a gift. 🎁

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #whybodiesmatter