The other day I noticed that the fence in the backyard was leaning.  I went to investigate and it turns out that the rail had pulled away from the post…again.  The same thing had happened after a storm a few weeks ago and I hammered it back into place for a quick fix and until I had more time to properly address the situation.  I guess with having the day off that day and with the fence leaning again, this was that time.  When I examined the situation, I discovered that the next post over was rotten at ground level and was the cause of the problem.  It no longer supported the rail and because the fence was not perfectly lined up it was pulling the rail away from the other good post and causing the entire fence to lean.  It would have to be replaced.  I sent a text to the neighbor who lives behind me about the situation and received a quick reply back informing me that he had moved.  So I drove around the block and knocked on the door to explain the situation to the new homeowner.  There was no answer so I left them a detailed note with my name and phone number and asked them to give me a call.

I drove to Home Depot to pick up the concrete, the fence post and some other supplies for the job and by the time I got back home I still had not yet heard from the new neighbors.  I was thinking, they are probably out of town for the Fourth of July, they probably won’t even read my note for a couple of days, I should just go ahead and do this.  Then I got to thinking, what if there are kids or someone else at home?  How are they or whoever left them at home going to feel about some stranger coming into their backyard unannounced?  I decided that if my kids, grandkids or wife was at home I would not want some dude putting a ladder over the back fence and making himself at home in my yard without clearing it with me first…even if he was fixing the fence.  Then I remembered the Golden Rule.  Jesus said in Luke 6:31

[Luk 6:31 NET] 31 Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you.

I decided that the fence could wait for a couple of days.  It was a good decision.  I got to spend the morning shopping with my daughter and granddaughters at Sam’s and we had a great time.  And my new neighbor called me a few hours later.  We had a great conversation!  She thanked me for the note and we talked about our families.  I am so glad our introduction started out like that rather than, “Who are you and what are you doing in my yard!”  Following the Golden Rule worked out pretty good for me.  You know, I bet it would work out pretty good for all of us and our country too.  Jesus really knows what He is talking about.  We would all do well to listen to Him, to follow Him and pay attention to what He says.