Neighbors

I've always been blessed by having great neighbors and friends.  My Dad has often commented about how I can find such jewels to repair my cars, help me out with projects and loan me anything they have to make my life easier.

I was just telling my neighbor about my OH neighbor, Daryl, who used to come plow my driveway.  He had a long gravel driveway that he used to go up and down on, rearranging the gravel, putting it in the middle, dragging it up to the top.  He used to tease me about how much I liked to mow and I teased him back about how he wouldn't have anything to do if he didn't rearrange the gravel on his driveway.

I had contracted for someone to plow my driveway but he often came over after clearing his drive of snow.  I could hear his John Deere lawn tractor coming and beginning to plow my driveway.  Together we would clean out the mail boxes in the area for our other neighbors.  He also owned some land behind mine and he would let me play in the woods, cleaning up the fallen trees and brush, burning piles of debris and just having fun being a 50 something year old kid.

Another friend who wasn't even a neighbor would loan me anything he had in the way of equipment from his landscaping business.  If I needed it and he had it I could use it.  When we moved to OH he loaned me trucks and a trailer to move all my stuff to save me renting from UHaul.  I asked him one time about it and he said that everything he had had come from God and he was just taking care of it.  He didn't feel like it was his to hold on to.  I like that.  In fact, I think that's scriptural.

What does it mean to be a neighbor?  Who is my neighbor, as someone once asked Jesus?  My neighbor is anyone who needs help and I have the help to give.  I wish I had a snow blower to do my driveway...because then I could take it around the neighborhood and do other drives for those who didn't have one.  Frankly, I'm more interested in doing the Gospel and loving my neighbors than hearing a good sermon that doesn't cause me to repent and change some of my behavior.  So what if everyone sees me go out to church on Sunday morning but they never see me come help them in a time of need?  What speaks louder?

My neighbor in OH didn't often go to church that I was aware of but he loved me and I felt the love of God coming from him.  He delighted in helping me and I delighted in knowing him.

What do you think makes more of an impact on your neighbors?  Going around the neighborhood giving out tracts or helping them clear their driveway?  Or cleaning up something they can't get to?  Or doing something for them just because?

Today you have an opportunity to love your neighbors as Christ loves you.  I hope you take the opportunity to love.