I have a special challenge for the readers of Girl Grows Up this week.  If you want to play along, you’ll have to give up three things first….

1) A Judgemental Heart

2) Bitterness

3) The Urge to Get Even

If you’re willing to leave those things behind, then keep reading. If not, enjoy the next blog in your Reader.

Okay…it’s safe to assume you want to play now, so here goes.

First, stop for a few seconds and think about someone you dislike. Someone you’d rather not be around.

I mean it! Stop and think of someone.

That’s right. That person. The first person who came to mind.

(If nobody came to mind, congrats…you must not need The Neighbor Challenge!)

Okay, who is it? Don’t tell me. Just keeping thinking about the person (hopefully it is just one person who came to mind). This is your person for our challenge.

Now that you’ve got someone in mind, let’s dig a little.

What is it you dislike about your person? Is it part of their character you deem a flaw? An annoying habit? Or something you just disagree with them about?

Did they do something to hurt you? Make you mad? Lose your trust?

Give this some thought, and when you’ve pinpointed what causes you to dislike your person, read on.

Some of the things most worth doing in life are the hardest. I don’t think that’s a new concept to anyone. Doing good work usually isn’t easy.

It’s not easy to give it your all.

It’s not easy to sacrifice your comfort for someone in need.

It’s not easy to overcome your feelings of annoyance, dislike, even hatred.

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

So let’s go back to your person and the cause of your dislike. In the grand scheme of life, how awful are they really? If you took a look at your own life, could you come up with an annoying habit, flawed characteristic or a time you hurt someone else? Give it a try. I think most of us can.

And don’t we all want others to love us despite our downfalls? 

That brings us to this week’s challenge. Ready? 

When you come into contact with your person this week, acknowledge (to yourself) there’s some junk involved in your relationship, then let that junk go. More than likely, the junk isn’t bothering your person at all. They’re probably oblivious to it. That means the junk is only affecting you. How fair is that?  

Remember you have your own junk, and your person is a fellow human being who is loved just as much as you are by our Creator.

It’s easy to love those who we like. I think the hardest people in our lives probably need our love the most. Let’s test that theory this week, shall we?

Will you consider your person (perhaps an enemy) a neighbor this week? Let me know how it goes!   

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?