I remember I was SO EXCITED we were going to have trees on our property and a little privacy, compared to the “crammed right next to each other” housing establishments of NE Mpls.

 

One thing I was also looking forward to was getting to know our neighbors and forming friendships with people all along our block.

 

That never really materialized.

 

For some reason in our neck of the woods, our neighbors pretty much stay to themselves and as a matter of fact, we’ve only met a small handful of the people on our block in the nearly 20 years we’ve lived up here. (I have to admit, we’ve been somewhat “hermitty” ourselves and haven’t made a huge effort to be over-friendly either).

 

So, what’s it take to be a good neighbor?

 

Well, the Bible mentions the word neighbor dozens of times, including Old Testament laws commanding us to show our neighbors dignity and justice. When Jesus is asked “What’s the most important commandment?” he answers that we must love God with everything we’ve got and to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

 

And when asked “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells us the parable of the Good Samaritan, teaching us that anyone could be our neighbor, we just have to accept them as part of our community and our lives.

 

In my job, I see a lot of people in the communities I work and live in. Though many of those “strangers” live outside my immediate neighborhood, I still consider people from Becker, Clear Lake, Elk River, Monticello and the local townships as my neighbors.

 

But how do I show myself as neighborly?

 

One example I can think of is the person at the end of my driveway and across the street in the home of a David Phillips. He, to me, is the shining example of what being a good neighbor is all about.

 

David is the type of guy who likes to be outside, getting things done around the house instead of sitting around watching TV or twiddling his thumbs. David is also the type of neighbor who keeps his garage door open during the summer months and waves to people who drive or walk past his property.

 

He’s also the type of guy that’ll invite you into that garage and offer you a beverage, with the hope of getting to know more of the people in his neighborhood.

 

One of the most thoughtful gestures David does is he unselfishly snowplows out our driveway each and every time it snows - and has been doing that for the last few years -  never expecting anything in return.

 

We’re so grateful to have such a generous neighbor, I just wish his example would rub off on me a little more and I could be looked upon as being a good neighbor.

 

Jesus didn’t ask us just to love our neighbor, he asked us to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

 

That’s a good lesson and one being demonstrated by a man just down the driveway from us whose example of neighborly fellowship is one I hope to emulate some day.