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“Loving Your Neighbor Well”

Article Author: Minister Cassie Boone

09/09/2026

I grew up watching the television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, one of my childhood favorites. Many of us are familiar with the impact that Mr. Fred Rogers had on American culture. For 31 seasons, he taught children how to be kind, thoughtful, and respectful. Treating one’s neighbor with love was so evident in his show that he formatted the setting around a community of neighbors worthy of each other’s time and attention. Both children growing up in stable or dismantled homes were able to observe compassionate interactions through his program. As an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church, Mr. Rogers used his platform to show an example of practical, Christ-like love and empathy. I am under the impression, from his work as well as the positive affirmations of others, that Mr. Rogers truly followed the scripture in Mark 12:

“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31, NIV)

Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is everyone! Our family, friends, spouses, significant-others, co-workers, fellow church members, and even our enemies. Daresay, I would add our pets. Our neighbors are the people that we bump into at the grocery store that we haven’t seen in a long time, the UPS driver, or the nurse checking our blood pressure. Our neighbors are people that God created, and therefore, who He loves, whether they are a believer in the faith or not. God has set an expectation for all of us to love each other the way that we want to be treated. This is the Golden Rule! Every human wants to be treated with kindness, respect, dignity, and compassion. We can reference many scriptures in the Word of God that instructs us to love one another. Why would God emphasize to us to love our neighbor? Because God IS love! To demonstrate a life that reflects God’s nature, we are called to love one another. 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34, ESV)

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16, ESV)

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8, ESV)

In a world that is growing spiritually colder, it feels as though “loving our neighbor” is a phrase of the past. Violence and crime are on the rise. Acts of discrimination against marginalized communities are seen everyday. The callous treatment of those in need or who are facing economic distress is disheartening. We see these moments of cruelty in person and through the media. Open a social media app right now, and it is easy to run into a harsh comment from a random user that you have never met. The lack of empathy and compassion in our communities is creating a culture of hatred, affecting the mental health of our youth and adults. Hatred is the opposite of God’s nature, and we must combat this. 

How do we love our neighbor well? How do we love our neighbor as well as we love ourselves? Well, it starts by loving yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. As it says in Psalm 139:14, you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (ESV). God created you, and you are worthy of love. In addition to loving ourselves, here are a few ways that we can better demonstrate God’s loving nature: 

Forgive each other. It is easy to feel merciless and begrudging towards someone that we feel has hurt us. Despite these feelings, God demands for us to forgive each other because He forgives us. Forgiving others is sometimes easier said than done, but the Christian walk isn’t always easy. We have to do the “hard work of heart-work” to demonstrate spiritual maturity and growth. (Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 10:12, Ephesians 4:32, 1 Peter 4:8)

Remove fear with pure love. When we are afraid, we try to protect ourselves. Similar to a turtle with a hard shell, we hide behind walls and become defensive with our neighbors in an effort to feel safe. Hostile interactions can promote defensiveness, preventing comfortable and safe relationships. God doesn’t want us to provoke fear in others, nor does He want us to constantly feel afraid. We have to ask ourselves, “Will my actions or comments cause this individual to feel greatly uncomfortable or unsafe?” Having a simple self reflection like this can keep us from creating harmful environments. (1 John 4:18, Ephesians 4:2-3)

Avoid selfishness. Selfish ambition is one of the greatest enemies of love. When people consistently put themselves above other’s needs, this causes a “fending for yourself” attitude. This type of attitude promotes a negative type of independence, as well as pride and arrogance. No one is meant to walk through life alone. We all need help and support from others. While we should not practice unhealthy selflessness that demeans our self worth, we should avoid making a habit of never attending to the needs of others. This goes against God's principles of compassion. (Philippians 2:4, 1 John 3:17, Galatians 6:2, Hebrews 13:16). 

Love is an action, not just a word. Show up for those that you love. Help a family member that needs support. Visit your co-worker in the hospital. Give the elderly stranger your seat. Attend your niece's dance recital with flowers waiting for her. For significant others, remember important dates and do spontaneous, romantic acts to put a smile on their face. Even our pets deserve an extra walk or treats every once and while. These are all examples of love in action. They can be simple or large acts. Some of our most memorable moments are the times when others showed up for us without us asking. We do not do these acts of love for our own glory, but to glorify the Father God. Jesus did the greatest act of love by dying for us! (1 John 3:18, John 3:16)

This blog post could be extensively longer because love is so extensive. From self love to global philanthropy, each expression of love can have its own article. But, to conclude this writing on love, I will end it by highlighting 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. In whatever way we choose to serve our communities, love is what gives it meaningfulness: 

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

(1 Corinthians 13:1-13, ESV)