If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

Today's reflection is by Lucas Mix, Researcher in Theoretical and Theological Biology, Harvard. You can read more from Lucas on his blog: dacalu.wordpress.com

Loving people can be a work of a lifetime, but it is also the work of a moment. In seminary, I worked with a group that served homeless people with mental challenges. Sitting in the office lobby, a member of the congregation corrected me. “You never said hello to me,” he said. I had been nervous and didn’t know what to say, so I had entered and sat there without saying a word. He had to reach out to me.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I have been conditioned not to say hello to strangers.  As a Christian, however, it is my responsibility to reach out.  You cannot serve people unless you know them and you cannot know them unless you make a connection. I will always be grateful for the lesson.

It can be scary to reach out for the first time and yet it is necessary, day-by-day to reach out in openness, curiosity, and love. I am learning to love people in this way, to be open to everyone I meet, and to make the effort, ever so small, to reach out to them.