Sermon Illustrations

We have two walnut trees that are growing on the property line. We have a fence between us and the neighbor, and the trees are growing up the back side of the fence.

There are several limbs growing over on our side of the fence. The owner of the property owns several duplex apartments on the street behind our house. I did not want the fence row to grow up, and I spoke with the property owner about me keeping it clean. He told me that I could keep the fence row clean on his side of the property if I wished. He thought it would be a help to his property as well as mine.

About once a year I cut the limbs off on our side of the fence, and I cut the undergrowth off on his side of the fence. I have been busy this year, and I have been late in doing this.

The limbs have been growing over on our storage building and in the way of my ham radio antennas. I had planned to take care of this project for several weeks.

A new family moved into the duplex behind us several weeks ago. They have some small children. Two of these children are small boys about kindergarten and first grade age. These boys are very small in stature.

They are pretty normal boys, and they are on the very active side. I noticed a lawn chair lying in their yard under the tree. I did not pay very much attention to it until I saw the little boys climb in the chair and reach a limb on the tree and began to pull and swing on it.

I was a boy once, and I understand the nature of a child, especially a boy to want to climb trees. I watch these youngsters climb and swing on this limb, and I was afraid that they would hit the fence and get hurt.

I decided to change my plans and cut the limbs a few days earlier than planned. I decided to cut the low hanging limbs on the neighbor’s side also. I was afraid that the little fellows were going to get hurt. The little boys were not at home when I cut the limbs.

The next afternoon my wife and I were looking out our kitchen window. We watched these little boys come outside to climb on the tree limbs. One of the little boys climbed up in the chair and to his surprise and dismay the limb was gone. He told his brother about the missing limb. They pointed up in the tree, and we could tell by the look on their face that they did not have any idea what had happened to the limb.

One of the little boys picked up the lawn chair and dragged it to another tree closer to their house. They were determined to not allow the cutting of their limb to hinder them from climbing trees. They found them another tree and another limb to climb on.