Neighbour

Lent coincides with Ramadan this year, which reminds me of the generosity my Muslim friends and neighbours have shown me over the years. Although I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, my experience of being a student in London jumps to mind. During Ramadan, our Bengali neighbours invited me and all my housemates to their house to have breakfast with them. They made us feel so welcome in their home and the food was so generous and free flowing.

As we ate, and crowded onto sofas, armchairs, and dining chairs, we sat and learned about Bengali food, language, and traditions. But we also connected with our neighbours on a brand-new level. And we really started to get to know them.

We live in a world that can leave us feeling disconnected from others, even our closest neighbours. Small things, with very little effort in the grand scheme of things, can help us connect to each other. And, as I’m often reminded when other people are generous towards me, small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to someone’s day.

Prayer:

Pray for opportunities to build deeper connections with your neighbours, celebrating the richness of different cultures, traditions, and faiths. Thank God for the generosity and kindness shown by others and ask for a heart that reflects that same generosity in your own community. Pray that small acts of kindness – whether shared meals, conversations, or gestures of welcome – would break down barriers, foster understanding, and bring light and hope to those around you.

Take a 40acts challenge today:

1. Check-in on a Muslim work colleague or neighbour and ask them how their fast is going this year.
2. Wrap up a sweet treat for someone fasting to be able to have something yummy as soon as the sun sets.
3. Invite someone fasting to come for an ‘iftar’ meal as fasting pauses when it gets dark. Use this opportunity to break down barriers in the way that sharing meals always enables.