Surely you say if Ms. Wood lived next to me I would have known that she was missing. I would have noticed.
What would someone new who has just moved across from you say about you and your neighbourhood? Are you the neighbour that is looking out for the people on your street? Would you notice if a different car was parked outside your neighbour's house and they are not home, or that you haven't seen your neighbour in a long time?
Do you even know your neighbours name? If you live next to an elderly person or someone with a new baby, have you ever asked them if they need help, even bringing their bins to the curb? At Christmas have you brought over some Fair Trade chocolate to share the Christmas cheer with them? Do you have a contact number for a relative just in case an emergency happens.
I was a block and a half away from my house, returning from my workout, when I saw an elderly woman who was very distressed and was pounding on her door trying to get into her home as she looked locked out. I had places to be; I was still nursing a baby and had only stepped out for a brief run while my husband took care of the kids, and it was dinner time. I could have said this is someone else's problem and left, she wasn't even really my neighbour, she lived down the street and over.
That is the problem! Too many of us think it isn't our responsibility to help our neighbour but actually the Bible is very clear on that "if you know what is right to do, but you do not do it, you sin." James 4:17 So instead of running away which I could have done, I was able to introduce myself and be a good neighbour to a frightened and confused woman and I was able to help this woman. Finally, after a couple of hours we were able to track down her son and get her into her house.
There is more behind every house you see down the road, or across from you. There is a story. There is a family, there are people who are hurting, who are alone, who need help, who want to share a laugh. There are people who have come from overseas who don't really speak the language and just want someone to give them a helping hand, like where is a good day-care, or a Thai restaurant or a good doctor.
A good neighbour
What if you changed that? What if you decided that you were going to be a good neighbour? What if you went out of our way to know the people around you? What if God put you in that neighbourhood for a specific purpose, not just to eat, sleep and mow the lawn. Maybe God wants to use us to bring joy, healing, love, friendship, kindness, fun or just someone for them to talk to.
Being a child born in the 80's I remember the block parties. The whole neighbourhood would come out and have a Barbie, have a drink and a few laughs; the kids would take over the street with a game of something. You knew everyone on your street and probably the street behind you as well. They were your friends. Fast forward 20 years, boy life has changed. People live locked up lives, locked in their house, in their car, in their office. We no longer walk to get milk. We are so segregated. We are scared of our neighbourhoods. But let's change society; let's get to know our neighbour.
Australia celebrates Neighbour Day, the last Sunday of every March. "It was founded in Melbourne, in 2003 by Andrew Heslop, after the remains of an elderly woman were found inside her suburban home. Mrs Elsie Brown had been dead for two years – forgotten by her neighbours, her friends and her family."www.neighbourday.org/about/how-it-all-began
It was founded to be an annual celebration of "community, bringing together the people next door, across the street or on the next farm for a beer, a barbie or just a cuppa."
How can I get to know my neighbour?
A) When you see a neighbour, initiate conversation, you are old enough to talk to strangers. Ask them their name and use their name from then on (write it on the fridge if you have to)
B) Go for a walk in your neighbourhood, smile and greet people as you pass them.
C) When picking up your mail look and notice the cars parked on your street, or mail boxes that are busting full or yards that look like they are out of control.
D) When mowing your lawn, why don't you mow the front part of your neighbour's lawn.
E) Be the first to bring a welcome dish over to the new people on your block (the ones that still have the sold sign on the front lawn) let them know about the restaurants to eat and not eat at.
F) Talk to the elderly on your street, give them your contact information so that if they ever need a hand
During the 2011 floods in Brisbane, I had a new born baby and a one year old. There was a knock on my door and it was my wonderful neighbour Bec with a bottle of fresh milk. She had overheard me while I was in the backyard earlier that day tell my husband that I couldn't find milk at the grocery store to give our son and I was concerned. She had found some milk at a different store and picked us up a bottle. Now that is a neighbour. We should all be neighbours like that.
A Challenge
A) Get to know three people on your street or in your building start with their name.
B) Invite one of your neighbours for coffee, learn their story.
C) Think of a way that you can bless a neighbour.
D) Host a neighbourhood day or a holiday block party. Think of how many people are nowhere near their family for the holidays, people like me, who just want to be invited since my family lived across the world.
I have had the privilege of getting to know some great neighbours in the last four years, had some great meals and talks with some of them, not all but some! It takes someone to take the initiative to get to know them, so why don't you do it today.
Who knows who your neighbour is, maybe your next best friend, a new client, a play date pal or a spouse? Isn't it time we turn off the TV and Internet, grab our hat and go for a walk across the street and knock on the door and say "Hi, my name is_________, I am your neighbour."
For more info on being a good neighbour take a look at www.neighbourday.org
Genevieve Wilson is married with two children who served with YWAM for eight years in Brisbane and now serving in mission in Canada as a modern day abolitionist.
Genevieve Wilson's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/genevieve-wilson.html