Thursday, December 20, 2007

That’s What Neighbors Do….

“That’s just what neighbors do”.
This is what my next door neighbor said to me last Sunday morning. It occurred to me later that morning, while clearing my driveway, that I had said the very same thing to him last summer.

Confused? Well, hang on, we’ll get there….

Earlier this year, during the summer, my next door neighbor, Mark, came over to ask if I knew where he could find new wheels for his lawnmower. He explained that the wheels had actually broken into pieces and fell off of his mower and he needed to get them fixed so he could finish his lawn.
I had just finished mowing mine, so I asked him,
“Hey Mark! How would you like to use my lawnmower?”
“Really? Thanks!”
“No problem. That’s just what neighbors do”.

And Mark was able to finish mowing his lawn. I hadn’t really thought about since then.

This last weekend, we got a lot of snow. There was about 8 to 10 inches of snow in the driveway. Mark came over and rang my doorbell.
“Hey Scott. I just got a brand new snow blower and I thought you might like to use it this morning”
“Really? Wow, thanks Mark!”
“Hey, that’s just what neighbors do!”

I had a lot of fun and cleared my driveway and sidewalk in record time.
I filled the tank with gas and took it back to him. I told him thanks again, and again, Mark told me that this is just what neighbors do for each other.

Pretty cool lesson. Especially this Christmas season. The Bible teaches us to treat our neighbors well. “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
A man once asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus’ response to him tells us that basically, it is everyone you meet.

We are to show Christ’s love to everyone, not just the nice people next door to us. I’m trying hard to remember that, but it isn’t always easy.

Enjoy the following cartoon and please remember the real reason for Christmas.



Thanks for stopping by, neighbor!

Blessings.

7 comments:

Dr.John said...

You cast your bread upon the waters and it came back many fold.

CrazyDeb said...

A part of me feels called to missions besides the short term missions I've been able to take. However, I have to make a living so keep going in to the big company where I work. One day it dawned on me (yes, I'm a blonde and sometimes it takes longer for things to sink in) that my workplace is my mission field right now. Being nice to those there, trying to show them Christ by the way I live my life, etc. Yes, that's what He told us to do - love one another and I think He especially wants us to love those who seem unlovable. Thanks for your post - it's a good one!

Real Life in South Carolina said...

Love the cartoon! I feel very blessed to have wonderful neighbors here in Ohio. I'm even joining one neighbor for a Bible study next month! That and it's great when one of us doesn't make it to the bus stop on time (or forgets - hee hee) and the other is always there to pick up the kids and take them home.
Merry Christmas, Dude!

EE said...

Can you send your neighbor over to my house with that snow blower?????
Good neighbors are hard to find...even harder to be:o
You make me want to be a better neighbor, Dude. LOL...after reading this post, you really do!

In response to your question on my WW...we won. With 3 seconds left and the score tied, one of our players made the winning free throw....Tres Exciting!!!!
Merry Christmas!

That Chick Over There said...

My neighbors? Not so much.

:)

heiresschild said...

hi Alpha Dude, i want to wish you and your family a safe and blessed holiday season. HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Bill ~ {The Old Fart} said...

A Merry Christmas is wished for you and your Family, Thank you for your post today, It made me think of My Mum and Dad and how at a drop of a pin they would be there to help the neighbours. Thank you for bringing back to me a wonderful memory I've long forgotten

bill

PS, Can I borrow your cartoon for my blog and Facebook