We become neighbours when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation: between black people and white people, between gay people and straight people, between young people and old people, between sick people and healthy people, between prisoners and free people, between Jews and Gentiles, Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics, Greek Catholics and Latin Catholics.
There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the street once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might become neighbours.


5 comments
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July 21, 2008 at 1:22 pm
stephen
i found your blog via “and so i write…”, and i loved this entry. the image of crossing the road – such an easy thing, but with it’s own complexity. thanks for that, i will hold onto that and let it percolate.
July 21, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Jana Allard
This post made me think how most people don’t even know their next door neighbors. When I was a kid, I would play outside all day and we knew all the neighbors. How can people “cross the road” when they don’t even know the person “next door”? “But if we could cross the street once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might become neighbours.” Friendly neighbors.
July 21, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Skittles
Amen.
Skittles
July 21, 2008 at 11:21 pm
helenl
Hi Stephen, Welcome to my blog. Glad you found Nouwen’s devotional good.
Hi Jana, What you say is sadly very true.
Hi Wendy. Hi Skittles.
July 22, 2008 at 2:06 pm
writeathome
Good post. The people that are hurting the most and needing God might be just right next store or across the street from us.