Blackberry Bushes Brought A Neighbor
Who is my neighbor and how do I meet them? In the story of the good Samaritan Jesus taught us that our neighbor is anyone within our sphere of influence who has a need.
That definition could literally be anyone with whom you share space with at any given moment…the person you work with daily, the cashier at Walmart, the children in your home, the soccer mom standing next to you on the sidelines, or even the person who stops to admire the ripening fruit on your blackberry bushes. About a month ago my husband and I were out in our driveway when a woman, (we’ll call her Julie to protect her privacy) stopped to make a comment about my blackberry bushes. As we stood in the driveway talking, we learned that Julie was a neighbor who lived down the street.
One thing led to another as we practiced being “curious,” and the next thing we knew Julie was apologizing for breaking down and crying. Julie had grown up in a toxic home and church situation and while she was wary of church and organized religious communities, unlike many today, she wasn’t willing to throw Jesus out along with the church. She desperately wants to grow in her intimacy with Jesus. Our interaction was short but I did get the opportunity to ask Julie if she was open to getting together for coffee to get to know one another better. She was, so last week Julie came over to my home.
Once I’ve met my neighbor, what next? For Julie and me what was next was simply listening to one another’s stories over a cup of tea. As we talked, we learned how many things we shared in common from the love of reading and doing jigsaw puzzles to desiring a deep, life-transforming relationship with Jesus. During the course of our time together, I learned that Julie had lived on my street since 2010. I asked Julie if she knew many of the people on the street. “No,” she replied, “I really only know the people who live on either side of me. It seems like we all just pull in our driveway and head right into our homes without ever interacting with one another.”
Years ago, when people were asked to define a “good neighbor,” a good neighbor was defined as someone you knew well enough to borrow a cup of sugar from, someone who kept an eye out for your kiddos and whose kiddos could often be found playing at your home, or someone that you stood talking with in the driveway or on the front porch. “Good neighbor” carried with it the idea of relationship, knowing one another in ways that fostered the ability to depend upon one another.
Today people asked to define a “good neighbor” speak about a good neighbor as someone who is courteous, keeps the noise down, and doesn’t bother you. Today’s definition of “good neighbor” is anything but relational. Today’s definition fosters isolationism and self-dependence, creating loneliness.
I can’t help but think that today’s definition of a “good neighbor” would leave Jesus wondering why we would settle for such disconnectedness? Perhaps a question we should ask ourselves is, “How has this definition of a ‘good neighbor’ crept into how I view my relationship with God?”
During our time together, I shared with Julie about my desire to start an NBS2GO study with women in the neighborhood, providing women a place to grow in intimacy with one another and with God through the study of His Word. As Julie headed home that day she said, “If you start that study, let me know. I want to be a part of it.” Since last week, the Lord has brought a few other women into my life who are voicing the same desire. I look forward to seeing what God will do through a chance encounter in my driveway as I seek to work my way back to a relational understanding of what it means to be a “good neighbor.”
