Guest Post by Becca Manning

I have two types of neighborhoods: the literal neighborhood where I live and the neighborhood of people I work with. I hold two jobs in the service industry. One is a fast-paced, 30 second interaction as a barista. The other is a slower paced, hours long service as a Licensed Massage Therapist.

Both of these jobs have guidelines that restrict me from discussing religion. So how does a Christian love their neighbor, their co-worker or their customer without blatantly sharing the gospel?

1. Prayer

I joke all the time about “the laying of hands” as a massage therapist, but I do practice this type of healing prayer. I pray for my massage guests the majority of the hour(s) that I am with them. Likewise I say a quick prayer when I see the faces of stress, delight, or weariness on a customer in the coffee shop. What ways can you find to pray on the behalf of the people in your workplace without being weird?

2. Getting to Heart Matters

Ask the right questions. I am a question-asker, almost too curious to get to the heart of people around me. How was your day? What was your favorite toy as a child? Tell me about your best friend from middle school? Often these questions come off as cheesy ( they are second nature as a former Youth Minister), but people want to be known.

One of the safest questions that I have learned to ask has been: “What do you need more or less of in your life right now?”

The person can decide how shallow or deep they want to respond: sleep, money, a day off, help, or love. I can’t tell you how quickly someone’s heart is revealed by this question. After all, isn’t the cry of so many of our hearts “Lord, I need….”

3. Offering the “right” help

Learn to weigh what would be most helpful when a need is presented. For example: one of the other massage therapists was having a difficult time finding a babysitter for her two young children. I could help her in three ways. 1) Cover for her at work so that she could stay home 2) offer to pay for a babysitter 3) babysit myself so she could work. I knew if I covered for her at work, I would come to resent her after becoming too physically tired. I knew offering to pay for her babysitter would be ok, but it wouldn’t allow me to serve her and know her better. But, if I could babysit for her I would get to know her children and her better. This option allows me to better know how to minister to her in the future.

Loving our neighbors includes the proximity of those we serve at our work place. So, we pray, ask wise questions, and serve with sincerity. This shows the consistent love of our King to those who desperately need to know His enduring love and care.

Becca Manning lives and works in the suburbs of Denver, CO. She and her husband live in shared community with her sister’s family. Becca loves her neighbors by leading a prayer group at church, hosting a weekly small group and attacking everyone she meets with intentional questions.