It was Robert Frost who said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Although Frost is my favorite poet, and I understand his sentiment, I’m not sure that it’s the best way to approach being neighborly. I started thinking about this early this morning as I made my way to our neighbor, Shaun’s, cabin. He is a wildlands firefighter and is gone for weeks at a time during the summer months. We are happy to watch his place while he is gone, including feeding his cat and taking in his mail. He has done the same for us when we take vacations. He feeds our cat and dog, takes in our mail, and waters Tami’s plants. We have shared meals and conversations together and have become more than neighbors. That’s the way things are done here in the Ninemile Valley.

There’s no fence between our two cabins. Instead, there is a well-worn path that has been trampled down from travel in both directions. In Galatians 5:4, the Apostle Paul says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” For the Christian, love is meant to be lived out. It is a verb. It requires action. It requires community. It is difficult to demonstrate this kind of love for a neighbor when you are building fences rather than paths.

Now, I don’t want anyone to turn this into a political discussion about border security. That’s another topic for another day. There are things in the Bible that apply to nations that do not apply to individuals, and vice-a-versa.

Not everyone is a pastor, missionary, evangelist, or one of the other “professional” Christians, gifted at speaking to large crowds and sharing the gospel. But everybody has neighbors to whom we can reach out and demonstrate the love of Christ.

With all due respect to Robert Frost, I’ve been more blessed by paths than by fences.