Loving the Neighbor God Chose

G.K. Chesterton once said, “We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbour.” It’s a quote that stings a little, especially when you think about that neighbor—the loud one, the grumpy one, the one who never waves back, or always parks too close. Unlike our friends, we don’t get to curate our neighbors. But according to Chesterton, we’re not supposed to.

The people who live right next to us, behind us, across the street—they’re not there by accident. As Christians, we believe in providence. That means we believe that God has a purpose not just for our lives, but for the people placed in our lives, even if those people are awkward, difficult, or just very different.

We love talking about “mission fields.” Sometimes we even fly across the world to serve strangers. But often, we ignore the mission field that shares our fence line. The truth is, the most powerful witness many of us will ever have isn’t a sermon—it’s a conversation in the driveway, a shared meal, or an offer to help carry groceries. It’s showing up in small, faithful ways.

And this is where Chesterton’s insight really challenges us. We make our enemies by holding grudges. We make our friends by choosing shared interests. But we don’t choose our neighbors. God does. Which means our neighbors—all of them—are sacred opportunities.

We are called to love them not because they’re easy, but because they’re made in the image of God. Even the strange ones. Even the ones with wildly different politics, lifestyles, or worldviews. Jesus didn’t say, “Love your neighbor if you get along.” He simply said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

What if we took that seriously?

What if we saw every “annoying” neighbor as someone Christ died for?

What if we believed God placed us on that street, in that building, for such a time as this?

Evangelism doesn’t always begin with a Bible verse. Sometimes it begins with taking cookies next door. Or asking how their week was. Or just being someone who listens.

The world doesn’t need louder Christians. It needs kinder ones.

God made your neighbor. He made you their neighbor, too. Let’s not miss the mission field waiting right outside our front door.

Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com or burtond@missouri.edu. You can also visit his website at https://engagedneighbor.com.