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Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear

Who Is My Neighbor?

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Luke 10:36

Today in church, we heard the story of the Good Samaritan and watched a scene from A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Children recognized Mr. Rogers and sang:

“Won’t you be my neighbor?”

It sounded sweet. But being a neighbor is not always sweet, easy, or convenient.

Sometimes our neighbor is the noisy person down the hall. Sometimes it is the resident who frustrates us, the person who votes differently, the stranger who makes us uncomfortable, or someone we quietly call “those people.”

Jesus was asked,

“Who is my neighbor?”

But His deeper question was:

Who is willing to become a neighbor?

That question belongs in our homes, churches, workplaces, and HOAs.

An HOA needs rules. Safety matters. Property matters. Shared spaces matter.

But community must be more than notices, complaints, and violations.

Before sending an email to everyone, can we knock on one door?

Before discussing someone, can we speak with them?

Before labeling a resident difficult, can we hear the story behind the behavior?

Rules may create order, but relationships create belonging.

Let me tell you a story.

I once stopped at Casey’s because I had a sweet tooth

ha-ha! Outside, a young employee was talking with a homeless man.

Inside, another clerk followed me around the store.

That awakened an old memory of what it felt like to be watched as a Black man during the 1970s.

At the counter, the clerk told the young employee:

“Didn’t I tell you not to speak to those people?”

Those people.

Two words can build a wall.

I told the young man, “Keep being a neighbor. Never let anyone teach you to stop seeing people.”

Then I gave the homeless man some money not because everyone must respond in the same way, but because, in that moment, I wanted mercy to become action.

The priest saw a problem.

The Levite saw an interruption.

The Samaritan saw a person.

So, get off the donkey of pride, fear, busyness, or indifference.

Learn a name.

Knock on a door.

Listen to a story.

Hear the biography before judging the behavior.

Who is my neighbor?

The person God places in my path.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

More importantly:

Will I be yours?

God bless you and this ministry!