Messy Advice... | What Counts as Loving My Neighbour?
Description
Today's question: "I want to love my neighbours, but I'm not sure what that's supposed to look like. Does it have to be big and obvious, or is the small stuff enough?"
Your messy adviser, Johan, dives into the not-so-clear moments of being neighbourly—where the line between a loving gesture and passive-aggressive landscaping gets hilariously blurry. This quick Summer Speedos conversation tackles the everyday tension of wanting to show care, without always knowing if you’re supposed to bake a casserole, quote scripture, or just give a friendly nod on garbage day. With a playful nudge to all you overthinkers (you know who you are), Johan offers some biblical wisdom, strips away the formulas, and celebrates the unnoticed acts that might just be more meaningful than you think. Perfect for your own messy, curious, and very Canadian summer journey.
CareImpact Podcast Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19rkPGbD7C/
-
Johan Heinrichs [00:00:00]:
This one's for anyone who's ever mowed a neighbor's lawn and thought, was that love or just passive aggressive landscaping? Let's be honest, sometimes we overthink love so much we end up doing nothing at all. Someone helps their neighbors fix a fence and spends the whole time wondering if they should pray out loud, offer a bible verse, or just hold the level and be chill. They go with the level, and honestly, it was probably enough. Welcome to Messy Advice for People Who Care, a summer series from Journey with Care for everyone trying to figure out if being neighborly requires a casserole or just eye contact. We're talking about caregiving, boundaries, burnout, and the not so clear moments of loving others well, minus the formulas. This is Johan on the edge of being helpful, clarifying that, yes, holding the door does technically count as ministry. No robe required. If you've ever felt unsure about what actually counts as loving your neighbor, You're not alone.
Johan Heinrichs [00:01:01]:
Today's question puts that tension into words. I wanna love my neighbors, but I'm not sure what that's supposed to look like. Does it have to be big and obvious, or is the small stuff enough? That's such a real and freeing question, and maybe the answer starts smaller than we think. According to the Angus Reid Institute, thirty three percent of Canadians say they rarely or never speak to their neighbors. This is people you live day in and day out 10 feet away from a lot of the time. So if you've waved at someone this week, you're already outperforming a third of the country, gold star, but still a little sad. Let's be real. Most of us aren't trying to win at neighborliness.
Johan Heinrichs [00:01:50]:
We're just trying to figure out what love looks like in between groceries and garbage day. Here's a thought. Loving your neighbor doesn't always mean starting a nonprofit. Sometimes it means not sighing audibly when they park too close to your recycling bin. Now imagine this. You're walking past your neighbor who's hauling groceries while wrangling a toddler. You consider helping, and then you remember you don't know their name. Then you panic and keep walking while overthinking it for the rest of the day.
Johan Heinrichs [00:02:20]:
Welcome to the overthinker's guide to loving your neighbor. Let's have a look at some scripture. Let's get biblical. Biblical. In Matthew 25, Jesus is telling this powerful story about the end of days, the sheep and the goats and the final judgment. And he says, I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in.
Johan Heinrichs [00:02:47]:
And then the people he's talking to go, wait. When when did we do that? His answer? Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me. And here's the kicker. They didn't know they were doing something holy. They weren't out there Instagramming their acts of service or tracking spiritual mileage points. They were just showing up with a sandwich, a blanket, or a or a bit of kindness because that's what was needed. The good news, you don't need to feel epic for love to count. You just need to notice, respond, and stay open to what you see around you.
Johan Heinrichs [00:03:24]:
The small faithful acts, the unnoticed ones, those are the ones Jesus celebrates, not because they're flashy, but because they're rooted in care without needing credit. So, yeah, giving your neighbor a ride to pick up their kid totally counts. So does offering to bring in that grocery bag or checking in, smiling at someone, sharing muffins, mowing lawns, and even holding that post hole digger. Love doesn't need to be loud. It just needs to be present. So this week instead of asking, is this enough? Maybe ask, is this love? If you've been stuck in the overthinking spiral of what does care actually look like, you're in good company. Don't underestimate the holy power of showing up quietly. And if you wanna join a group of people asking these same questions and having these same wrestles, join us on the Care Impact podcast group on Facebook.
Johan Heinrichs [00:04:21]:
We would love to connect with you there. And until next time, remember to keep loving, keep laughing, and if holding a ladder counts as love, I'm basically a saint. And always remember to stay curious.
