Loving Our Neighbors Can Be Tricky
Who Exactly is My Neighbor?
We all have informal and some-times temporary relationships that God calls us to—our friends, our enemies, the people at work, that house down the street, strangers, the couple who lives next to us that we don’t get along with….at all. [sigh] Whoever you meet or see today that’s your neighbor. Really. Like it or not, it’s true.
Tricky Neighbors.
What's the best way to react to our neighbors, especially those who can be a little prickly, those who come off as, well, not very likable? Should we ignore them? Mind our own business? Many individuals are content to live in their homes without actually knowing the people who live next to them. I’ve seen neighbors choose to keep to themselves until the person living next door does something annoying. Then words are exchanged and an initial conversation turns into bitter words. Some neighbors can also make your life a living hell. Others turn out to be your good friends. Sometimes it’s worth the risk for neighbors to actually be neighborly.
The Practice of Loving Your Neighbor.
A more moral and even wiser practice maybe is to recognize and love our neighbor. Sounds like an old cliché. A concept from another era. Kind of Rockwellian. None-the-less, I’m considering four or five ways in which I can become a better neighbor, like: You can’t stop me from caring for you, and ….? What would you suggest I add to my list?
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