Neighbor in need, indeed by debgrant
Years ago, I had a car accident. I was making a left turn onto a busy street. I misjudged the speed of a passing car as I pulled out, and my front end clipped the rear of the car. It spun 360 on the road. Neither of us was physically injured. I needed to find a phone (long before cell phone days) to call for help. I went to a house nearby and knocked on the door. An older woman cracked the door open, I explained that I just had an accident and needed to call the police. She refused at first. I begged. She reached for the receiver of the corded wall phone by the door and stretched it out to me. I asked if she would dial the police for me. She said no. I tried to reach closer to the opening to reach for the dial. As I leaned forward, I put my foot over the doorstep. She yanked the phone from me and kicked me. She kept kicking me while I backed away, and she slammed the door. I ran away and found a bank open to call the police.
That car accident left me with some scars. The trauma of the accident itself - the damage to two cars, my own shame in having caused another driver and his property such harm, the traffic ticket I got for reckless driving - were bad enough. I have been an anxious driver ever since. The scar from being kicked, from being seen by another as a threat, has never left me.
Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors. That is a stretch these days. I have heard horror stories of having neighbors from hell. I can sniff out whose side they are on in this civil war, which is real and all around us. I struggle with what it means to love a mean neighbor. At the same time, I remember being on the receiving end of a neighbor’s fear of me.
After years of dealing with disasters, I have learned that Jesus was wise in pushing us like reluctant children, toward one another. We need each other. Our basic survival may well depend on who our neighbor is. Do we know them at all? If we needed their help in a pinch, could we knock on their door without fear and trust they would do what they could to help?
The harder question for me is “Am I ready and willing to be a good neighbor?” What can I do now - even on the most basic, civil level - to be kind, to not be a threat, to be known as someone who would, at least, try to do what she could to help?
Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor. A stretch these days, yes. He also teaches us to be one.
Peace,
deb
Indeed, in need.
Thoughts to ponder for sure.