I’ve moved often over the years, both as a single man and while married. So I’ve collected a number of bad neighbor stories that inspire me to think about what it means to be a good–and bad–neighbor.
Take the lout across the street from us who constantly yelled at his wife and live-in mother-in-law and then threw a party when a train hit a vehicle the two of them were in and instantly killed them.
And then there was the prostitute who lived in the apartment across the hall from me in inner city Dallas. She’d knock on my door in the middle of the night and ask me to move my car so her johns could leave.
Another neighbor once threatened my life at gunpoint because I had helped his ex girlfriend move out of his apartment. Turns out I was unwittingly helping her steal his TV and stereo.
But my ultimate bad neighbor was the guy who frantically knocked on my door asked if he could spend a few hours in my apartment because the husband of the wife he was having an affair with had called to say he was coming over to shoot him.
Maybe the first step to loving our neighbor is to make sure we’re not bugging him. Toward that end, I’ve compiled a list of definite bug-inducers to help us see ourselves as our neighbor sees us.
You know you’re bugging your neighbor when…
-
- You let the wind rake your lawn.
-
- You wait to paint your home until the yellow paint on it peels so badly it looks like glued on potato chips.
-
- You buy a rusted ’57 Chevy to overhaul in your driveway and then don’t.
-
- Your dog does his business when you walk him up and down the street and you don’t bag it.
-
- You plant a grove of cottonwood trees.
-
- You never bother to learn your neighbor’s name.
- You never bother to learn your neighbor’s name.
-
- You decide to raise dandylions in your front yard.
- You decide to raise dandylions in your front yard.
-
- You and your friends smoke pot on your back porch.
-
- You burn incense to cover the smell of you and your friends smoking pot on your back porch.
-
- You tell your neighbor not to park in front of your home and then park in front of his.
-
- You toss dead squirrels into his backyard.
-
- You think an upside down old rusted wheelbarrow is decorative.
- You evangelize him by playing Christian music loudly while you wash your car and secretly slipping tracts instead of candy into his child’s trick or treat bag at Halloween.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
_______________________________________________________________
Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
_______________________________________________________________
4 thoughts on “Is Your Neighbor Loved by You or Just Bugged by You?”
You’re really good at thinking of way to bug a neightor Herb.
Ha! Great comment, Vicki.
Good morning,
We’ve got a widow who lost her husband 5 years ago. She has been extremely depressed and has gotten worse. Basically she doesn’t even want to take care of herself. She has very minimal income and would be basically homeless if not for a couple from our congregation. She’s been there two months and they see no end in sight.
Question. Would you open your home in this way?
Excellent question, Stuart.
First of all, praise the Lord for the couple who opened their home to this widow. I hope they are getting plenty of help and counsel from the church, especially from the church staff. And it sounds like the widow needs some serious counseling and perhaps medication for depression.
Regarding the question of whether I’d open my home in this way, the answer is a qualified yes. It’s qualified because it depends on the circumstances and our own living situation. Either way, I would seek help from others because her needs are obviously very great.
I hope people from the church are contacting this couple and their widow daily and offering help.
Herb