It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
Raise your hand if you share this sentiment with Mister Rogers. Do you feel this way about your neighbors? Hmmm…yet one of God’s greatest commandments is that we love our neighbors. So, what can you do to be more neighborly or more loving?
- Be friendly. Smile, engage your neighbors when you are outside and get to know them. Introduce yourself if you have never met them and find something of interest to talk about. Know that you may have to initiate. And yes, not all your neighbors may be friendly, but if you are friendly, you might find a friend.
- Find common ground from which to build a relationship, e.g., gardening, sports, faith, hobbies, or interests. Work on a neighborhood safety committee or organize one. The more you can get to know a person, the more you will be able to address issues when they come up or find a friend who can help you out when needed.
- Be a good neighbor by checking your noise level. Make sure you aren’t disturbing those around you with loud parties, music or barking dogs. As a rule, loud music and conversations should wind down or be taken indoors after 9:00p.m. And snow blowers, power tools or lawn mowers can wait until 8:00 am on weekends to start up. Basically, be considerate of those around you.
- If you have a pet, control your pet. Don’t allow it to bark incessantly, wander into other people’s yards and do their business on neighbor’s property. When we moved into our house, there was a note awaiting us in the mailbox demanding we clean up after our pet. IF we had one. Obviously, the previous owners had caused problems in this area.
- If you live in a neighborhood with common spaces, respect those spaces. Don’t trash hallways or stairs. People can become quite upset when common spaces become trash cans and aren’t kept up. Also, follow smoking rules.
- Think about parking and respect the spaces assigned. Use common sense. One of our former neighbors used to park his car in front of our house every day and it bothered me. He had plenty of room in front of his house. When people came to visit, his car was in the way. There was no reason for this.
- If you have a problem, talk it out in a calm and problem-solving way. This prevents resentment from building up. If there is an issue, go to the neighbor and discuss the problem. I realize this is not easy. But, talking is more difficult when you bring up a problem in a negative way. If you are angry and blaming, your neighbor will become defensive. And if you have no relationship with your neighbors, dealing with conflict is more difficult. This is one reason to get to know them. Problems are worked out best when people have a relationship and can have civil conversations.
To love your neighbors means to show kindness and consideration. So don’t isolate with your small group of friends. Get out in your neighborhood and practice loving others. Most people could benefit from a little more love in their life. And while some neighbors can be difficult and will never be your best friends, loving them through the love of Christ is an opportunity to practice civility, forgiveness, and Christlikeness.
How to love your neighbors
