For one, we buy large bulky packs of sugar today and when they get a bit low, we put sugar on our grocery list and it's purchased along with everything else on our shopping pad.
Another reason is that all too often we don't know our neighbour well enough to bowl on up to their door with an empty cup – they'd call the do-dodders and get us certified.
So what's happened over these past 20-30 years that has brought about this change that perhaps we don't know who lives next door to you and sometimes we don't even know their names? Is conversation with them limited to a simple 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' as you enter and leave your home or do you know each other a little better?
Jesus instructed us to love our neighbours. What does that mean and do you live up to what He instructed us to do?
Three years ago an Australian survey revealed that 1 in 5 people don't know their neighbours at all. Our poor neighbourly relationships have led to the introduction of an annual 'Neighbour Day' in Australia each March. (www.neighbourday.org)
This is a day initiated in 2003 by Melbourne resident, Andrew Heslop, after he learned of the discovery of the remains of an elderly neighbour in her home (wrapped in a blanket on her sofa) almost 2 years after her death. While I certainly applaud this initiative, I find it disturbing that we actually need an initiative such as this to focus our attention on spending time with our neighbours. While one day of friendship a year is a very good start, what happens on the remaining 364 days?
What did Jesus mean?
When Jesus instructed us to love our neighbours, I wonder what He meant? How do we define our neighbours, and what does it mean to love them?
I believe if I was sharing coffee and a chat with Jesus' today, He would tell me that our neighbours are anyone in our life. If I were to use this as a measure I would certainly say that I am loving towards my friends, work colleagues and family.
Does that mean I can give myself a pat on the back on that point, and move on? Or did Jesus also mean He wanted us to love our actual neighbours; the people who live next door to us? (This would be another question I would ask Him over coffee.)
What if I don't even know who my neighbours are? I put a lot of research into the decision to buy our house but spending time with the neighbours was never a part of that process. Consumer agencies are now advising prospective home buyers to do just this – some bought a house only to find they had the neighbours from hell (late night loud music, drug dealing, prostitution etc) and then it was all too late.
This is when Jesus' instruction to us becomes a little more challenging and may be pushing at the boundaries of our personal comfort zone, however it is this very reason that makes me believe this is exactly what Jesus' was asking of us.
I think He wants more from us than to just love those who we have chosen to spend time with. I believe He also wants us to share this love more widely, and that may include people we would typically not spend time with, or people we may have very little in common with, whether we literally live next door to them or not.
There are many things we could do to respond with love to this instruction from Jesus: a conversation, invitation for coffee, offer to collect the holiday mail, bringing in the rubbish bins. Whatever small or large steps you may decide to take to show love to your neighbours, I pray you are delighted in the response you receive.
Merewyn Foran is married, a step mother to two daughters and a fundraising and communications consultant to not for profit organisations in Melbourne.
Merewyn Foran's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/merewyn-foran.html