Article November 7, 2011 Issue

When a neighbor isn’t so neighborly

By Susie Jostyn

Here’s a quick tip. If you can remember only two things from the Bible, remember these: love God, and love your neighbor (see Matt. 22:35–40). Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, for me, at times it’s been easier said than done. It can be tempting to let my follow-through depend on the circumstances.

For example, one morning while living and working abroad, I left the back door to my private garden open as usual to take in some fresh air while I read that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson. After a while, I heard someone knocking on the shared wall between my house and that of my neighbor, whom I knew from occasional, friendly chats. He’d never done this before, but I instinctively knocked back to let him know I was home if he needed anything. To my great surprise, a few minutes later he came over the wall between our gardens and walked through my back door.

He came up to me, embraced me, and started talking to me and touching me in ways I didn’t appreciate. I quickly realized that he was drunk, probably still awake after partying all night. I asked him to stop, but he ignored my protests. Immediately, I reached out to God in prayer, not sure how the situation would be resolved, but certain that God had a solution.