Welcome my friend, come on in & have a little break from your busy day over a cuppa. Today we’re chatting about neighbours…
We all have them…right? Whether they’re near or far they live right next door.
And neighbours can be many things; friendly & considerate, aloof & inconsiderate, quiet or noisy, maybe a little too friendly or may be even hostile depending on the relationship between the neighbours.
But before we get chatting let’s grab our cuppa’s & get comfy.
I have a mug of tea & a slice of Mulberry & coconut loaf, do you have yours? Then lets begin…
Neighbours of all kinds
Hubby & I have lived in this neighbourhood for the past nineteen years & over that time we have seen neighbours come & go.
We’ve had a range of neighbourhood characters over that time.
You see hubby & I were raised in a time when you considered & respected others, especially your neighbours. We were taught what Jesus said;
‘…You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Matthew 22: 39
We grew up in neighbourhoods where neighbours helped each other out when needed, sharing home grown veggies & chats over the fence, often becoming long term friends.
We were taught that you’re respectful of boundaries, privacy, noise levels & consider how your lifestyle may impact those living around you.
In fact my husband is an extremely considerate man, he would be described as a wonderful neighbour who is quiet, respectful & helpful.
He often goes the hundredth mile for those living around us & has been known to mow neighbour’s verges for them when they’re away.
A disrespect has crept in…
However, what we’ve noticed is this consideration isn’t always reciprocated.
I personally find this disappointing & frustrating at times, especially when noise levels & privacy are disrespected.
Don’t get me wrong here, we understand that there are times when children play loudly, that there will be birthday parties & BBQ’s that are all a part of family life, as we had young families once, that’s not a problem.
We also understand that if someone is building something then the related noise will happen over a period of time until it’s completed, not a worry.
The Appropriate Authority
I must admit thoughts of righting the injustice of this disrespect do come to mind by going to the appropriate Authorities.
But I have a higher Authority that I am accountable to & what He would have me do in this situation is my only desire.
Let’s look at that scripture again, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Hmmm…
When I take a good look I don’t see any added qualifier attached to that verse saying; love your neighbours as yourself, but not the annoying & disrespectful ones.
No, it just isn’t there!
So where does that leave us?
Loving our neighbours with God’s love, strength & wisdom…not our own!
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2023 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by David McBee on Pexels.com
Tea With Jennifer 
Thank you for sharing your link/s at SSPS 259. Please check back on Monday to see if listed under the top 15 or mentioned by a co-host or if I shared it on FB @BloggersShareCareInspire and IG @_esmesalon as the top 5.
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You’re most welcome Esme, thank you for hosting 😊
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Please will you be so kind as to share with me your FB Page and Instagram handles in order for me to tag you as one of our top 5 posts this week at SSPS
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Hi Esme, I don’t have any social media accounts. Thank you for letting me know about the ranking though, that’s very humbling 😊
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Thank you for letting me know Jennifer. When you visit the post on Monday you will see your post listed although with no tag
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Thank you Esme 🙂
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We are so lucky to have wonderful neighbors; the kind that have often mowed part of our lawn for us when doing their own or helping us move furniture and the like.
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That’s such a blessing, so great to hear 😊
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Jennifer, we have wonderful neighbors and I am very thankful. But you are right … loving them as we love ourselves means extending grace when they do things we might not appreciate very much. 🙂
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Good neighbours are a blessing Lois. 😊
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Such a great question! We almost accuse God of not understanding OUR unique situation, because if he did, he certainly would not make that requirement apply to us! 🤣
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😂 So true Michele!
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We’ve had mostly good neighbors, or at least not bad neighbors. 🙂 But a few years ago we had a family that did weird things, mainly to a a couple of the other neighbors, one in her 80s. The mom of the weird family prompted her kids to tear out the elderly neighbor’s flowers and almost ran down another neighbor with her car. Police were called a few times, and once my husband broke up an altercation among the neighbors. The “problem” neighbors didn’t live next to us and I didn’t encounter them personally, so I didn’t have much interaction with them. We’d mainly hear about their exploits from the two neighbors we did know. Even still, I had to struggle with a right attitude to pray about their needs rather than just wishing they were gone. They did have to move due to foreclosure of their house a couple of years ago. I felt bad about that but can’t say I felt bad about their leaving.
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Neighbourhood disputes can be a real problem in some places Barb…we see that in every country around the world & sadly it can lead to criminal acts or even murder of neighbours.
It’s something we need to constantly take to the Lord in prayer.
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HI Jennifer,
I am here via Esme Salon, and I’m so glad I came! Lovely blog, and I look forward to reading more.
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Hi, lovely to meet you & glad you enjoyed your time here 😊
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