RELATIONSHIPS January 12, 2009 Issue

LOVING MY NEIGHBOR

DIANA PAUL BORT

RECENTLY, I'VE BEEN ENJOYING the idea that God, as Love, is the Creator and sustainer of all relationships. Love smooths the way for good to happen, for us to delight in each other. This understanding has helped me see relationships as not involving chance or accident—and that there's a purpose to our interactions with others.

I've experienced this many times. For example, a couple of summers ago I discovered that the rental property next door had become a safe house for two drug dealers. At first I'd been intrigued by how social these young men were, before their late-night traffic, parties, and noise began indicating something more disturbing. So I began to pray, turning everything over to God's care. I asked God for direction, and it came to me to simply report what I was witnessing to the police. The police were very discreet while still making their presence more evident in the neighborhood. However, months went by, and the loud parties began to escalate.

At the same time this was going on, I was also working for a nonprofit organization researching the pharmaceutical industry, reading statistics about the damage done to women and babies at birth by the use and misuse of drugs. I was also helping a relative free herself from a methamphetamine addiction. I felt surrounded by the drug threat and at a low point of despair.