“Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,
affectionate, compassionate, and humble.”
(1 Peter 3:8, NET)
Last week, out of the blue, a classmate from almost 50 years ago contacted us. They were on their way to visit family in northern Idaho, pulling their travel trailer. For some time, they had been dealing with a “check engine” light on their new pickup truck. Dealer after dealer over their 1,000 miles of travel from Southern California had not been able to solve the problem.
All of a sudden it dawned on them that we were in Idaho Falls and might be able to help them find a place to stay. Even though the campground here was full, we found a way to get them a spot. They were able to get their truck repaired (hopefully for good) at the local dealership, and after three short but enjoyable days were once again on their way.
The morning they left, Bruce was reading from Peter’s letter and came upon his exhortation noted above. Later that day, a retired couple pulled into the spot our friends had just vacated. We quickly realized that it was not going to be as easy to be in a harmonious, sympathetic, or compassionate attitude with our new neighbors as we were with our friends.
Yet, that is exactly what Peter is challenging us to do. The situation for Peter’s audience was even worse. They were undergoing severe persecution, and he was telling them to be pleasant, compassionate, and caring to those who were against them!
Our new neighbors will be alongside us for the week. It will definitely give us time to put into practice what Peter is challenging all of us to do: “… be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble” to our new neighbors.
This week’s Blessings, Prayer Requests, and Schedule are here.
Here are a few more pictures of our new furry travel friends!
