As my friend and I walked down a familiar neighborhood street, a teenage boy with a distressed look on his face jogged up to us. In his hand he held a stack of flyers. “Have you seen this cat? Her name’s Lacy. She’s a gray and white tabby, skittish, shy. She’s lost.” 

We stopped and quickly glanced at the picture of the beloved cat. Unfortunately, we hadn’t seen her but told him we would be on the lookout for her. The concerned cat owner thanked us, gave us a flyer, and hurried on his way, desperate to find Lacy. 

The next day, I shared the flyer with the three young boys who live next door. If anyone had seen a missing cat, it would be them! They’re outside more than in, and love animals of all kinds. I popped outside when I saw all three boys sitting at their backyard picnic table, happily whittling sticks into “arrows.” 

As always, they greeted me politely. “Hi, Miss Karen.” 

“Hi guys! Nice work on your arrows! Can I show you this flyer? Someone lost a cat and I was wondering if maybe you’ve seen it?” 

The oldest boy stopped whittling, looked at the flyer and read it slowly. He took his time, catching all the details, so he would fully understand the situation.

The middle boy stopped whittling, looked around the backyard and enthusiastically told me about the animals he’d recently seen nearby, including a brown cat and a family of raccoons. 

The youngest boy, not old enough to whittle, looked up at me with compassion, and simply said, “That’s sad.” 

How do I faithfully love my neighbor? The three little boys next door showed me how. 

Fully! Enthusiastically! Compassionately! With the Lord’s help and because he first loved us, we can faithfully love others, even if it simply means looking for a lost cat.