Love Thy Neighbor

These are just a few passages I found. I'm not sure why I'm posting them. More for me than anything else. (Copied from an online concordance tools. [Link] )

Zechariah 8:17 (New King James Version)

17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,
Says the LORD.

Matthew 22:36-40 (New King James Version)

36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Romans 13:8-10 (New King James Version)

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law

And after my little search on the subject, all I keep thinking is: "I'm trying, God, I'm trying." The boys and now girls in the neighborhood are making it exceedingly difficult to love them. It's approaching summer again, and with summer comes LOTS of free time. Free time to do nothing but smoke pot it seems.

I'm not a fan of smoking, drinking, or dugs. But if you want to do any of them, that is your decision. Your body is a temple, how you choose to keep it is your free will. So long as you are not inflicting your decisions on others. (Smoking in public, forcing others to inhale your garbage. Getting irresponsibly drunk, acting lewdly towards people outside of your group and reckless driving. Getting stoned on someone else's property!)

I live in a four unit apartment building. There's a yard in back and a bit of a yard in front. Nice areas if they weren't infested with ants and or fleas. But for the local kids who want nothing more than a place to hang out, it doesn't matter what bugs may get on them. In groups of four or more, they are constantly hanging around our property.

This didn't bother me AS much before, when there sole problem was there LOUDness and usually in smaller groups. But now they've taken to smoking their pot almost daily. I have to walk back there to throw out the trash or do laundry. I don't want to have to see them. It's getting to the point were it's safer to do this crap when it's dark, by then these fools are home or elsewhere.

I try very hard not to hate anyone. I may get angry or annoyed, but those are passing emotions. But the longer I stay here, the more my hatred grows for them. I want to cry or scream, I hate them so much. Scream cuz they are trying what little patience I have. Cry cuz I don't want to hate anyone.

I feel as useless as when I was in school, with the idiots who felt the need to tease. Becaues, though they're not saying anything to me (all the time anyway), I feel as bad as if they had. Though reputation of my bullying ability goes before me, I know there is little I can do to make them go away. What could I say? Mom tells me to say nothing out of fear of retaliation to us or her car.

"Lord, help me love these people like You love these people." I've long since forgotten where I got that from. Probably a church service. I used to repeat it daily when I worked at the bookstore. Well not daily, but on days where we seemed to be swamped with idiots and lazy students who wanted us to do their shopping. Y'know, people who try your patience even at the best of jobs. I think I may have to say it again, hourly, everytime I see or think of them. Or maybe repeat it like standards.

Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people...

God, musta seen my anger level was growing too high. He had Chrissi email me a funny about neighbors. Lord, I wish my worst problem with neighbors was inappropriate garden displays.

Well, I feel a little better.. But I'm still stalling til the kids leave before moving laundry... I think my next door neighbor is "watering" the grass now (to scatter the kids of course). I'll take ants retreating to inside our apartment over them pot heads. Ta ta for now... Hopefully I'll be in better spirits next blog.