Austin Maxheimer, One Life’s Life Group Director, and I share an office at in One Life West. We spend most of our time working independently on our own projects generally to the soundtrack of whatever happens to be on Austin’s Pandora playlist at the moment. Occasionally when one of us learns something interesting, we’ll stop and discuss the matter. One recent discussion revolved around the concepts expounded in “The Art of Neighboring.” The basic concept being that you should begin to know and care for those in your immediate sphere of influence, particularly the eight houses that surround your home.
In fairness, I haven’t read the book. I’ve poked around the website some and had the stirring discussion with Austin. Here is what I can tell you though from personal experience: when you intentionally care for and serve your neighbors, they notice. I wish I could say that I have been the best neighbor and am constantly seeking to serve those around me. To be honest, that’s not the case. However, my neighbor, Craig, has been doing this. When we first purchased our house in the fall of 2008, we were focused on getting the inside of our house prepared for our move. We were painting, refinishing the wood floors, cleaning dirt and grime. All the while, a large amount of leaves were falling from the two large oak trees in our front yard. Craig quietly and kindly came over and cleaned up nearly every leaf. His selfless action was noticed.
When a bad wind storm ripped through Evansville a couple of years ago, one of our neighbors had a branch fall out of the tree and land on her fence and the back of her house. Craig was over the next day, climbing on her roof and cutting the tree back. He then climbed down and hauled the wood away. Again, he acted out of concern for others without being asked. It’s just who he is.
I’ve decided I need to be more like Craig. I need to open my eyes up and look for opportunities to love and serve others. God’s placed me in this neighborhood for a purpose. I need to be intentional about being available to be used by Him.
What about you? Do you have an incredible neighbor or are you that neighbor? Share your experiences with me in the comments below.
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