Becoming friends with people who are like us is usually easy. But without realizing it, we might be missing out on opportunities to learn from people who are different from us simply because we want to stay in our comfort zones. We are commanded to love our neighbors—and that includes people who might lead a life different than our own. In this episode, we discuss what it means to truly love our neighbors and how both physical and emotional proximity to others can strengthen our love for them and our understanding of the Savior’s love for them.  

“Everybody is different from you. Everybody is a unique individual. We have to reflect upon our love for each other and decide whether our love is conditional  on us thinking that they are the same as we are.”   Dean Carolina Nuñez is the co-founder of the J. Reuben Clark Law School’s Refugee and Immigration Initiative, and her work with refugees at the border in Texas has inspired her to discover what it means to truly take on the meaning of “loving your neighbors” no matter the physical distance. She seeks to reach out with charity in every aspect of her life, including being a mother and wife. Her experience being raised in Venezuela and the United States, learning two languages and two cultures makes her perspective on loving our neighbors so profound.   Top Takeaways from this episode!

• Physical proximity can help us understand our neighbors better. Take the time to get to know others by getting close to them and live out the Spanish translation of “love of neighbor,” which means, “love of the one who is in proximity.”
• By reaching out to those who are different, or not always that easy to love, we can learn to love our neighbors as the Savior would have us do.
• Taking the time to get to know those around you can sometimes be awkward, but we can decide to push through the awkward!
• We sometimes assume those around us are just like us, but everybody is a unique individual.
• Allowing others to give of themselves and share their love for us is a way we can increase our love for them.  

Something to think about: How has physical proximity to someone increased your love for them as your friend and neighbor? What can you do to increase your love for others who might be physically near you, but feel distant from you in familiarity?   Small and simple weekly challenge: It’s okay to be uncomfortable as we are trying to get close to those we consider our neighbors. Be willing to accept a little bit of awkwardness and you’ll be surprised at what will come out of it!

Listen to Carolina's BYU Speech from 2018 here!

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