Jesus gave us a story in Luke 10 of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead along a dangerous road between two ancient cities. After being passed by both a priest and a Levite (two highly regarded holy men) the hero of the story is an outsider Samaritan who cares for the victim and ensures his healthy recovery. The audience Jesus is speaking to is then forced to admit that the better neighbor is not based on who they are most like, but rather on the one who is in need before them.

Now, if Jesus considers the least likely person to be the example of a good neighbor, then surely we should be doing the same. Who isn’t our neighbor? They could look like coworkers, other parents on at the tee-ball games, people in the waiting room, or the kids and parents at the nearby school, even if your kids aren’t enrolled there. What about folks at the Eugene Mission or pushing shopping carts down the street?

Or what about those starving in countries across oceans? YES, the answer is yes to all of these. However, if we are going to love all of these neighbors, then shouldn’t we at least get started by building friendships with those who live in the homes next door to ours? Let’s recognize, be available to and overall love our literal neighbors; whether they look, think, vote or worship like us.

Perhaps as we fine tune our skills with our local neighbors, we will be better prepared to seize opportunities that God provides to love our “extended neighbors” as well.

Check out the following practices that we believe can grow and mature our ability to practice the art of neighboring: