I’ll tell you about two of my neighbors. The back neighbor does not like our fence, It is a chain link fence so it’s very durable and can be hidden easily by foliage and they can last forever. Those are the things I like about it. My neighbor decided to stand on it rather than use a ladder and bent it.
I saw him doing this and he told me it’s not hurting the integrity of the fence, only it did, it’s slightly bent where he was standing. I forgave him.
But then every time I look at the bend, I have to give it back to the Lord and ask for more help forgiving him. Really, I could have grown some foliage over the bent part and it would be covered up by now. So isn’t that my fault? Except that it’s shady where that fence is and slightly hard to grow things back there since there is a large tree there. I planted a Jasmine vine nearby. They are lovely and evergreen and do well in our climate.
I noticed the Jasmine vine looked skimpy this year, but it had been growing well. When I went back to look closer, it was apparent that my neighbor had taken as many branches of the vine as he could and pulled them through to his side to make his side look full and lush while he left a few scraggly branches on my side. Sigh. Forgiveness.
My other neighbor has a classic Jaguar convertible. It’s a beautiful car. He often takes it out on nice days. Before he does, he pulls it out of the garage to let it idle and if I’m not quick enough to shut all my windows, my whole house will fill with exhaust. I never say a word. He is sensitive and I don’t want to spoil his enjoyment.
Me writing about this is not to tell you how wonderful I am, it is to tell you how wonderful the Lord is. He has given me the grace to deal with both of these neighbors. I’m telling you, that is not my flesh. This is a miraculous work the Lord Jesus has done in my life with both of these situations. My natural man is nowhere near this self-controlled or this kind and forgiving. This work the Lord has done in me didn’t happen overnight. Both of these situations could have gone awry and I would have enemies all around me.
Instead, like Paul said, as much as is possible, live in peace. That doesn’t mean I can’t say anything.
Once I did with the neighbor with the classic car. He was playing his music very loud when he was working on his car, which can be for several hours and I asked him if he could please turn his music down. I’ll never forget his response, “We all have habits that might intrude on each other.”
I thought, What? What could I possibly be doing that would bother you? Then it dawned on me that late at night, the TV was loud with the windows open.
I was more considerate after that. I turn the TV way down late at night. So, in a gentle way, I had the log removed from my own eye.
Grace is a beautiful thing and a reminder that we need it just as much as the next guy. Let us obtain grace at the throne of God when we need help in our time of need.
Scriptural References:
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 12:18
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16