Today is Good Neighbor Day.

In the early 1970s, Becky Mattson from Lakeside, Montana, recognized the importance of having and being good neighbors. So she started an effort to make this a national day. Three presidents (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter) along with many state governors all issued proclamations calling for a Good Neighbor Day.

Finally in 2003 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to make September 22 National Good Neighbor Day. Here are some ideas for observing it: Bake some cookies and take them over to your next-door neighbor. Smile and wave hello to your neighbors when you see them outside. Do a chore secretly for your neighbors—rake their lawns, sweep their driveways, bring in the trash cans.

Even though this day has been set aside as Good Neighbor Day, the writer in Proverbs makes it clear that we should not ignore an opportunity to help our neighbor. In other words, we don’t need a Good Neighbor Day to help someone out. Whenever the opportunity arises, we should be ready to lend a hand, pitch in, and help out.

And since Jesus pointed out that our “neighbor” is anybody with whom we come in contact (see Luke 10:25-37), then that means we need to extend help to our classmates, the kids on the bus, and even people we don’t know. That means taking the time to explain a homework assignment, bringing home books to a sick classmate, or helping clean up after a project.

Think about it. We are to treat our neighbors as we would like them to treat us. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you” (Proverbs 3:28).

To Do

Read the story of the Good Samaritan again in Luke 10:25-37. Think about these questions: Who are my neighbors? How can I be a good neighbor?

Also on this day

Today is Elephant Appreciation Day.

1999—The record for drinking ketchup was set by Dustin Phillips on this day. He drank a 14-ounces. bottle of ketchup through a straw in 33 seconds.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.