“Who are our neighbors in SFC? Our fellow brothers and sisters.” – Kuya Jay Lucena
For those who know me well, they know that I am not comfortable around men in general. Due to experiences that happened in my earlier years, I avoided contact or interaction with boys. When I joined Singles for Christ (SFC), it was a challenge for me to interact with the brothers. Since I became part of the SFC community, I was always bonding with the sisters. I thought that I can “survive” being part of the community just like that, being in their company and “loving” only the sisters.
A year passed and I enjoyed having service with the sisters. We danced, we praised, we sang, we worshipped together. I even had many friends from other chapters who are also sisters. I felt a sense of belongingness, I felt happy, blessed and loved.
Though Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12: 31)
If the only ones whom I consider my “neighbors” are my sisters, did I really “love” according to Jesus’ teachings? Obviously, not. To help me better understand “loving thy neighbor”, I was sent a gift to help me experience, first-hand, loving God through my neighbor. My gift is my dearly beloved God’s Gift, Bjoy Isolana.
Why him? He was the only brother who broke all my defenses, made me realize than not all men are opportunists, and assured me that the brothers will not harm me, in fact, they will even protect me as a sister. He “forced” me to face my fears and be open to different opportunities. You could call it “tough love”, his intention was to help me appreciate other people, step away from my shell and discover the greater love by not limiting myself to a number of people. Of course, it took a lot of quarrels, misunderstandings and of course, patience from both our part.
Bjoy proved to me that “loving thy neighbor” was beyond the romantic relationship we had. Once, we were in a verbal and emotional fight; we were at the peak of almost giving up on each other. Then, he fell silent, closed his eyes and prayed. Upon seeing this, I remembered why I loved him. I was humbled and I knew that I had to accept defeat. I remembered where we started; he proved to me that before we even became gifts to each other, we started as a loving brother and a loving sister from the SFC community.
I believe that’s how “loving thy neighbor” is. Going the extra mile, acknowledging defeat, accepting the mistakes of your neighbor, forgiving them, swallowing once pride, making an effort to reach out and making them realize that they are more than what they think of themselves. Encouraging one another and supporting each other in different tasks and services.
Like what me and Bjoy always say to each other, “If everything crumbles and seems to go wrong. Stop, and go back to basics.” Remember where you started, love as the base of all relationships.
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