Our Neighbor, Mr. Cook

It is never possible for us to completely know our neighbors, and it would seem that many of them pass by through life without our full attention. God would have us love them as ourselves. We need to reach out in special ways to embrace them, to share with them, and to learn from them. I have always regretted that I had insufficient time for our lonely neighbor, Mr. Cook.

His house across the street was dark and rundown. All the neighborhood children, myself included, were afraid to trespass on his lawn. We imagined all kinds of horrors that he might inflict on us if got too close to his life. He lived alone, and we only saw him as he went to or returned from work. He had no car, and he apparently had no electricity-- for the house was always dark. The house was heated by a coal furnace, which belched black smoke out of his chimney.

Grandma saw him differently. Here was a man who needed some neighborly love. As a teenager I was now ready, she said, to take a plate of food to him. Grandma specialized in roast beef, mashed potatoes and warm pies. I remember the first time I knocked on his door. What terror was about to descend upon me!

He recognized me and invited me in. The house was cluttered with old furniture in disarray. The table in the main room could barely be seen, but he managed to clear a small space for his hot meal. He had me sit at some distance where he could watch me. I do not recall either of us saying anything. I looked around with fear at the room full of shadows wondering how long I must stay with him. There would be many encounters like this over the years. But gradually I came to be at ease with Mr. Cook.

In my high school years Mr. Cook became our janitor. He could always be found in the basement--usually in the boiler room. Late into the night he would empty trash and polish the floors. Very few of the students ever spoke to him or came to know him. I confess I did not always give him my proper attention.

What was it that sustained Mr. Cook? How many of us could go through life with only a few visitors and only token approaches from neighbors? His needs were very plain and simple. Of course there was no TV for it was yet to be invented. If there was a radio I never heard it. Contact with the nearby children did not occur because of their misplaced fear. Mr. Cook was actually a gentle man, misunderstood by the world, who saw his life fulfilled by serving others with the menial tasks that are rarely recognized but that are so necessary. He was a picture of the verse that Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians. “On the contrary, to a much greater degree the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:22). He only seemed to be weaker and lowly. We were too busy in our “more important” lives to give him notice.

Do you have a “Mr. Cook” in your life? Can you reach out to him and discover what Christ would have you come to learn about your fellow man?

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