Loving my neighbor...

I admit it. I do not know my neighbors as well as I likely ought to. And if I am really being honest, it is partially because I am a chicken. While you might likely think of me as outgoing and willing to talk to anyone, the fact is, I am great about talking to anyone who comes up and talks to me. I am generally timid about just walking up to someone, especially someone I may not know very well, like a neighbor.

And for a few months now, I have been praying for opportunities with my neighbors. There have been a few times when I have been pulling weeds in my front flower beds and a neighbor comes out, I get up from the ground and try to strike up a conversation in my dirt covered way. Other times, I have gone to the car to get something and notice a neighbor playing in the front yard with their kids and I run in and get mine all gathered up and we go out to play.

Through such opportunities, I have learned about neighbor's husbands being deployed, other neighbors having surgery, still others having trials with kids or spouses. All of these have been opportunities for us to reach out and share the love of Christ with our neighbors in tangible ways. Making coffee for a neighbor before they go to work, bringing a meal after surgery, watering a yard while neighbors are out of town (and throwing in some weed pulling too).

Recently, the news got out that Elliott is the President of our HOA. We have had a neighbor, from down the street, come over a couple of times to talk to us about how they have someone who regularly walks their dog by their house and lets the dog poop in their yard and leaves it. They don't have dogs, but they do have small kids, and the mom can't stomach the clean up. I empathize with them, that would not be a welcome "gift" to walk out to.

So, when this neighbor came by today, knowing there was very little I could do for her in regards to getting the offending dog(s) to stop their behavior, I asked myself what could I do to love this neighbor and show her we cared about her problem. It was very obvious that she was bothered by the presence of this dog's poop, so I offered to go clean it up for her. After raising six kids, two rabbits, two dogs and (formerly) two frogs and multiple toads, not to mention after two years of helping at a friend's farm with horses and cows and chickens, poop doesn't bother me.

As I walked back to my house, with some random unknown dog's present, I thanked the Lord for this opportunity to meet my neighbor. I actually don't even know their names (I am really bad about remembering to gather that information!!!), but now I can purposely seek after opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

How are you loving your neighbor?