Shelter Leaves

In my backyard are two trees. They are both a blessing and a pain. A few weeks ago I was cleaning up the yard and it started to rain heavily. I didn’t notice the rain because I felt it on my skin, but because I saw it hitting the ground on the properties around me. The leaves on the long branches provided shelter for me, from the rain. When the sun is out, they also provide me with a nice shade. However, these leaves that protect me can also cause damage, if we’re not careful. Since the trees are old, the branches stretch very wide, at some parts stretching over the house. In the summer, but especially in the Fall season, my dad has to climb a ladder and clean out the gutter. This is done to prevent the gutter from overflowing when it rains, as the leaves fall in and block the drain. If the drain becomes blocked the water may back up and start to leak into the house, which would be another problem.

My message to you this morning is – “Shelter Leaves.”

What kind of leaves are we being? Are we providing people with shelter during bad experiences and hard times in their lives or do we clog their minds with negativity and insults? Are we spreading Christian love and care or acting like the world and continuing to stomp a person while they are down? The leaves in my backyard have both positive and negative characteristics, which is why we keep them. Even though the negative could be detrimental to the house, proper maintenance has prevented that from happening. This has allowed the positive benefits to outweigh the negative. 

What are your “shelter leaves” doing? Are they providing coverage to build someone up or collecting themselves to see them fall? Just remember, while you are collecting to clog someone else’s drain, someone may be collecting against you.

-Simone