I’LL NOT KEEP YOU IN SUSPENSE.
When we can’t get along with our neighbor, we should get along little doggie.
- Give them their space.
- Elbow room.
- Six-foot privacy fence.
It’s okay. Jesus said so.
Here are three versions of what he said.
- “Leave….And shake the dust from your feet at them.” (Matthew 10:14 CEV)
- “Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.” (The Message)
- “If someone doesn’t want you around, leave. Shake the dirt off your feet or whatever it takes to let them know you’re happy to give them their space and the dirt that comes with it.” (Steve’s Bible Translation)
Jesus gave this advice to his disciples when he sent them door-to-door with the Good News about how much God loves us.
But I think it also applies to people we’d like to kick in the butt.
That sounds odd, I know.
On the one hand, these are people we try hard to get along with. Like Paul said:
“Do your best to live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)
But some people are about as peaceful as a black hole. When they step into a room, they suck the light out.
We can stumble around for a while, long enough to figure out that this is a bad place to hang around.
But eventually, we need to go to the light.
It’s okay.
We don’t have to fix that person. A job like that is above our pay grade. It’s something for the Holy Fixer.
Sometimes the best we can do is to build a six-foot privacy fence and quote the prayer of Jesus under our breath,
“That’s enough! Be still.” (Mark 4:39)
Thank you for the reminder, Steve, that we can STILL be Christians and not live in frustration. There are those that we cannot avoid, but for those we can, we can apply Matthew 10:14, MSG. Wouldn’t shrugging our shoulders and walking away just baffle those folks?
Thanks Gail.
I recently shrugged off a neighbor for doing something very hurtful to me- repeatedly – and 2 months ago she verbally accosted me on my front porch for shrugging her off. I still shrugged it off. And that is saying something to the power of God, because anyone who knows me knows I struggle with shrugging things off.
Dear world of readers. I know Erin. She’s no shrugger by nature. She’s a shrugger by God.
Thanks so much for writing this and being so concise! We have tried for nine years to get along with our neighbors. Though we are not perfect neighbors, we have tried. Praying the house will sell quickly, because the way I see it is that it would be a blessing to us all if we were just able to relocate and pray for them from afar. Peace!
Wow. Sorry you felt you had to move. But that’s better than committing a felony.