Fences

How tall is your fence? As you drive around town you will see a wide range of fence heights. Most of the fences are around the seven to eight foot tall range, but some are well over nine feet and some seem to be ten feet or higher. I have noticed that since my neighbor installed his ten foot high fence almost no one can see into my back yard. In some ways I really like the fact that I have so much privacy in the back of our property, but in other ways I am not too sure that having extra tall fences in a good thing.

We are a people in desperate need of “community” or as Maslow said, “Belonging”. That is so true today. Even though we strive to be independent and self sufficient, we as a people have a built in need to belong to something bigger than ourselves.

I have notice in resent weeks that not all of the neighborhoods in McKinney have tall fences. As a matter of fact there are some communities around town which do not have fences of any kind or if they do have a fence it is a wire fence that does not provide any privacy. The people who live in these homes seem to have a greater sense of community or belonging. They have more activities outside and seem to know their neighbors better. As a matter of fact many of the cook outs or barbeques happen in the front yard rather than the back yard and the neighbors are always invited.

So, let me ask you, how tall is your fence? More importantly, do you also have social fence that travels with you from place to place as you go to different events. I believe that some of us not only like having tall fences for our back yards, we also like having social fences around us everywhere we go. We are quickly becoming a nation of people who live next door to strangers instead of neighbors. We go to church with strangers rather than “family”. As a matter of fact most people in the United States have fewer than five close friends. Some of you are saying, “I wish I had five close friends”.

Let me encourage you to take a personal step of social faith in people and get out there and make friends. Get to know your neighbors. Become better acquainted with those you work with daily. Invest yourself in people and relationships and I mean real relationships the kind that can only be developed over the diner table or the patio. To quote a famous American, “Tear Down that Wall!”

I know that it has been said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” That may be true, but extra tall fences turn your neighbors into strangers. So do what you can to become a part of this community and to take part in the lives of those who live around you.

Love God. Go Love Others.