I hope she doesn't yell at us . . .

When I was in church one night a couple of weeks ago, I started to think about doing something for the neighbours who had just moved in directly across from us. God tells us to "love our neighbours", and I was suddenly determined to do so in a very literal sense! I toyed with making a cake and taking it over. After all, who can be grumpy with someone bearing a cake? Dave suggested that cookies might be better, so I made some and placed them in a jar for our new neighbours.


As we walked across, I said to Dave " I hope she doesn't yell at us". Neighbourliness is so rare these days that it is sometimes viewed with suspicion. The last time I'd dropped by this house, the former resident looked at me through a crack in the door as though reproaching me for ever knocking upon it. Our reception this time couldn't have been more different. Our new neighbour invited us in and we chatted inside the door for about 10 minutes. It was a real blessing to us and, it seemed, to her. This was an encouragement to continue to be counter-cultural and take the time to find ways to love our neighbours.