PEEPING BOB

One of my neighbors admitted to me that he oftentimes peeps into another neighbor’s windows; he said it a way that he was almost proud of himself. He told me that he does this several times a day, and, that my other neighbor has no idea that this is happening. “Bob” (not his real name) asked me to not let our neighbor know that he was doing this.

When I mentioned this to my wife Cathy; she confessed to me that she too was also “peeping” on this neighbor without his knowledge. Oftentimes she would peep through the shades in our kitchen into our neighbor’s house without his knowledge. In fact, she seemed glad that someone else was doing this; not just her.

“Peep”; means to look through a small opening or from a concealed location.” And normally I would have been shocked at what had been confessed to me by my wife and my neighbor; for some reason I wasn’t. Instead, I found myself almost enticed to also peep on this neighbor without his knowledge. 

Before I go too far in my illustration, let me state this; I believe that it is wrong to look, leer, linger, and peep on someone; especially without their knowledge or approval in order to derive “pleasure”. There have been many lives over the ages that have been violated and affected by “peeping Tom’s” who believe that it is OK to do this.

But, in the case of my wife Cathy and “Bob”, I was almost proud of what they are doing. You see, a few weeks ago (JUNE 26, 2010), I had written a blog on how wrongly we, as a society, treat one another. Cathy and “Bob” were not peeping on my neighbor for some pleasure, but out of care and concern. My neighbor has gone from falling in his yard where we can see him and come to his aid; to falling in his house where no one can see him. Both “Bob” and Cathy had come to realize that our houses were strategically located in a way that we could look into our elderly neighbor’s house to keep an eye on him in case he fell.

“Bob” wanted me to know what he was doing so that I didn’t think that he was weird. “Bob” was being a good neighbor; a great neighbor who was willing to risk reputation to help out an elderly neighbor. This elder had spent many years with “Bob” when he was active and could work outside on his own house and now was at a point in life where he could no long do everything on his own. “Bob” had taken this neighbor under his personal care and was telling me not in order to brag, but so that if I saw him peeping into the elderly neighbor’s house, to not think that he was doing something that was wrong.

We ask; “What is wrong with people?” Today, I tip my hat to my neighbor “Bob” for taking time to lay down his life for his neighbor and his friend. 

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 New King James Version)

Jesus also said; “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ‘This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31New King James Version))

Thanks “Bob”.