Do all that you can to live at peace with everyone.
We have settled into our new home. Having terrific neighbors at our last home, I think that we are a little spoiled.
Now we have a new house, new neighborhood and a new neighbors. That means making new friends and experiencing life differently.
But, I have a confession.
This post is written selfishly.
We need your prayers.
I don't know what to do about our neighbors on one side.
They have an automatic sprinkler system. The sprinkler keeps our side yard wet, making it hard to catch a dry time to mow. Also, one sprinkler hits one of our windows, causing it to be water spotted and needing to be cleaned often.
Karyn asked them (very nicely) to contact their sprinkler guy and have the one sprinkler adjusted. The next day, the neighbor returned our house key (we had previously asked them to hold a key for us in an emergency). I could be reading that behavior all wrong but it appeared that they didn't appreciate us asking them to adjust the sprinkler and expressed that by returning our house key. We want to be good ambassadors for Christ and don't want to come across as nit picky but we just got tired of looking thru a water spotted window.
What do we do?
I am reminded of a story in the book, Sit Walk Stand by Watchman Nee:
"A brother in South China had a rice field in the middle of the hill. In time of drought he used a water-wheel, worked by a tread-mill, to lift water from the irrigation stream into his field. His neighbor had two fields before his, and, one night, make a breach in the dividing bank and drained all his water. When the brother repaired the breach and pumped in more water his neighbor did the same thing again, and this was repeated three or four more times. So he consulted his brethren. 'I have tried to be patient and not retaliate,' he said, 'but is it right?' After they had prayed together about it, one of them replied, 'If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians. We have to do something more than what is right.' The brother was much impressed. Next morning he pumped water for the two fields below, and in the afternoon pumped water for his own field. After that the water stayed in his own field. His neighbor was so amazed as the action that he began to inquire the reason and in course of time he too became a Christian."
I think about that story because it involves water and there is a principle there that applies to our situation.
Is it right to ask for a wrong to be righted?
What behavior honors Christ and our neighbors?
Our current plan is to continue to be nice to them and continue to strike up conversations when we are outside. Also, we will continue to pray how to resolve this situation.
I know that there are plenty of world issues that are much bigger than this small little issue but we want to represent Christ well.
So, when you read this today, would you take a few moments to pray for us?
Ask that God would work so that our neighbors see Jesus in this situation.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
We have settled into our new home. Having terrific neighbors at our last home, I think that we are a little spoiled.
Now we have a new house, new neighborhood and a new neighbors. That means making new friends and experiencing life differently.
But, I have a confession.
This post is written selfishly.
We need your prayers.
I don't know what to do about our neighbors on one side.
They have an automatic sprinkler system. The sprinkler keeps our side yard wet, making it hard to catch a dry time to mow. Also, one sprinkler hits one of our windows, causing it to be water spotted and needing to be cleaned often.
Karyn asked them (very nicely) to contact their sprinkler guy and have the one sprinkler adjusted. The next day, the neighbor returned our house key (we had previously asked them to hold a key for us in an emergency). I could be reading that behavior all wrong but it appeared that they didn't appreciate us asking them to adjust the sprinkler and expressed that by returning our house key. We want to be good ambassadors for Christ and don't want to come across as nit picky but we just got tired of looking thru a water spotted window.
What do we do?
I am reminded of a story in the book, Sit Walk Stand by Watchman Nee:
"A brother in South China had a rice field in the middle of the hill. In time of drought he used a water-wheel, worked by a tread-mill, to lift water from the irrigation stream into his field. His neighbor had two fields before his, and, one night, make a breach in the dividing bank and drained all his water. When the brother repaired the breach and pumped in more water his neighbor did the same thing again, and this was repeated three or four more times. So he consulted his brethren. 'I have tried to be patient and not retaliate,' he said, 'but is it right?' After they had prayed together about it, one of them replied, 'If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians. We have to do something more than what is right.' The brother was much impressed. Next morning he pumped water for the two fields below, and in the afternoon pumped water for his own field. After that the water stayed in his own field. His neighbor was so amazed as the action that he began to inquire the reason and in course of time he too became a Christian."
I think about that story because it involves water and there is a principle there that applies to our situation.
Is it right to ask for a wrong to be righted?
What behavior honors Christ and our neighbors?
Our current plan is to continue to be nice to them and continue to strike up conversations when we are outside. Also, we will continue to pray how to resolve this situation.
I know that there are plenty of world issues that are much bigger than this small little issue but we want to represent Christ well.
So, when you read this today, would you take a few moments to pray for us?
Ask that God would work so that our neighbors see Jesus in this situation.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
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