Robert Frost once said “Good fences make good neighbors.” But what would happen if there were no fences and we each entered our neighbors’ lives- loving them as we love ourselves? This is the story of one man who determined to tear down the fence piece by piece in an effort to serve and love his neighbor. But Albert didn’t make it easy. Albert was a 90-year-old Frenchman, abandoned at birth on an orphanage doorstep. He was a veteran, a painter and a chef; however, he was also divorced, alone, angry and bitter. But Tim determined to love him no matter what. That relationship grew from daily fence talks to caring intimately for Albert in his final days. Ultimately this is a story of the radical transformation that can occur when we become not just neighbors but the hands and feet of Jesus. And that transformation wasn’t just Albert’s transformation and redemption. When we serve others, God ultimately changes us. In our service we are often given a glimpse of God’s love for us. This story is for anyone that has ever been challenged with a difficult relationship or anyone that has ever felt their life could not be redeemed. This is a story of redemption literally in the nick of time!
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.
Matthew 25:40.
Marie Cadden