Dana Sutherland  |  22 August 2018

It’s often easy to forget how close God really is to us.

Last year there was a big storm that damaged many of the properties in my neighbourhood. One of the damaged homes belonged to an elderly lady who lived alone in my street. A section of the roof of her house caved in after a tree fell onto it during the storm, leaving the house and the woman vulnerable to the elements.

Another neighbour in my street – a man in his late 20s who worked for a successful building company and had only known the woman since his family had moved in the street a few years before – completely restructured the lady’s roof. With the help of a few of the company’s workers, and donated supplies, the elderly woman’s house was fixed within a week, stronger than ever.

Witnessing such an act of kindness made me value the people around me. It helped me see that the people around us can help us see God, and better understand the teachings we have been brought up with.

As Luke’s Gospel says, ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17:21).

Because of my neighbour’s actions I’ve found it easier to actively search for God within the people around me, which strengthens my connection to those people and God at the same time.

Dana Sutherland is a member of our young writers' community.

 

Topic tags: healthycommunitylife, heroesandrolemodels

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