I met a duck last weekend. I drove a couple of hours south to help some family unpack at their new address. It turns out, the house came with a pre-installed duck. He belonged to the last family to live there. For reasons unknown, they left him behind. He remained with shelter, food, and water, but he remained. My time with him caused me to consider how I am meeting the needs of those around me.

Rejection in all forms, malicious or not, pushes my buttons. Much needed doing at the house, but I just wanted to sit with the duck. The morning of my first full day there, I took him some lettuce and sat down in his large, sheltered area. We listened to music and hung out. At one point, he quacked three times and hopped into his kiddie pool. He floated in his defacto pond for a long time before hopping out to go on about his day.

As I sat, I considered his situation and my own. The duck has not been mistreated, but he has had a rough few weeks. Events outside of his control have him living alone under a shelter in an adjacent pasture to my family. He is now being cared for by my family, his neighbors who have a heart for all of God’s creatures.

Do you know the names of all your neighbors? I asked myself this question. When did you last speak to any of your neighbors? Though a reasonable follow-up question, I find it the more difficult of the two to answer honestly. I can tell you the names of at least one adult in 7 of the 13 other houses on our street. Shamefully, though, I admit to not remembering the last time I spoke to any of them.

A series of events led each of us to where we sleep at night. For me, it is this cul-de-sac with 14 houses. This street is my pond. Many of the topics I write about touch on relationships and our need for community. Without the connection to other people, much tends to go very wrong. Why, then, do I ignore the people who live the closest to me?  Do they not hurt? They have rough days and weeks. Do I not have a heart for my neighbors?

On Sunday, a man from Egypt spoke at church about all the ministry happening where he lives. Our church supports his ministry monetarily. We also send teams there to help. It is good and right to support and personally engage in foreign missions, but it is not enough. We need to tend to our ponds. If we are unwilling or unprepared to care for the people next door and across the street, what business do we have in another town, state, or country? It is a serious question that I am asking myself and you too.

Duck Billington, aka Bill, reminded me of days in my life when I have felt rejected, unnoticed by passers-by. I doubt Bill feels rejected, but the humans in our lives do. I do not want to endeavor to be the hands and feet of Jesus and pass by the hurt in the eyes of a coworker or expect someone else to meet the needs that arise in the lives of people I am around day in and day out. 

Tough topic, right? Hanging out with Bill brought on some serious conviction. I decided to share it with you because we stand to miss out on blessing and being blessed when we live with blinders on.  Do we give to missions and absolve ourselves from any further responsibility? Do we write a check then check the mental box next to the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20)?  Can we do a better job of noticing needs and being the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting world?

When we read “Go” in Matthew 28:19, what if we start at our own front door, our office door, or the checkout line? We get no additional points when we go somewhere exotic to care for people. Yes, we should still go if given the opportunity, but in the meantime, how about we just show the love of Jesus to our neighbors?