My Next Door Neighbor and My NextDoor App

As I was on my early morning walk yesterday, I saw neighbors putting up this Happy Birthday display for their neighbors across the street from them. Hello, blog for this day! Neighbors loving neighbors. Sound familiar?

I’m counting my blessings because I have next door neighbors who I think are on assignment as my guardian angels. They’re the kind of folks who go beyond the call of duty. They’re always looking out for me and checking on me. When I forget to let my garage door down, they are there. I like to think that I’m pretty good at reciprocating. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of obeying Jesus’ important second commandment to the “T”: “‘You must love your neighbor as yourself”. Luke 10:27

Last week I talked about the blessing of the NextDoor app. If you’re in a neighborhood, It must be there for you, too! It’s a great online app where you can get recommendations for excellent doctors, lawn, irrigation, electrical and plumbing people. I asked if anyone had a bike I could purchase for my granddaughter and a sweet couple simply gave one they no longer used. I asked for boxes when my kids were moving and a neighbor had more than enough broken down and ready to go. It’s also a “lost and found” blessing and we’ve used it to help us find our little 5-pound Yorkie, twice, when she sneaked out the door or yard.

Right now, there are Biden and Trump signs everywhere in my community. We may not agree on political candidates, but we definitely agree that relationships matter more than politics. We treat each other with respect, disagree agreeably (and often with humor). Neighbors loving neighbors.

Hands down, Jesus took neighboring to a whole new level when he talked about the Jewish man who had been beaten, robbed and left for dead by bandits and the only one to his rescue was the Samaritan (enemies to the Jews) who saw him and was moved with compassion. He took care of him to the point of paying for his care. Jesus’ answer to the scribe’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” was answered when He said, “Go and do what the Samaritan did.” When Jesus said, “neighbor”, I think He was actually saying “our fellow man or woman”. That is surely loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

In these days, that’s a HUGE statement! It suggests that all of God’s children must be our neighbors and we must love them just as the Samaritan man did! In this time of deep political hostility, biased opinions, and debates about what’s moral or immoral and what’s right and wrong, I’m confident that Jesus would still say the same thing today. So, then, the question really is: “Lord, there are so many that don’t agree with my philosophies, my faith, my values and my opinions, so then, WHO really is my neighbor?” I’m quite sure He’s responding “ALL MY KIDS are neighbors! After 2,000 years of Me telling you that…..nothing has changed in my record books. It’s STILL ‘Love your neighbors as you love yourselves!””

L-O-V-E — that’s a 4-letter action word. And you know what? That “LOVE your neighbor” admonition doesn’t have UNLESS in it anywhere!