GUARD YOURSELF

There are a ton of trees in our area, however only a few fire hydrants. You may be thinking, “yeah, so?” Well, there are also a ton dogs.

Dogs and fire hydrants make me think of those cartoon images from my youth where it seemed like dogs only “relieved” themselves on fire hydrants.

Maybe those cartoons were of dogs that lived in the heart of dense inner cities, or maybe it’s easier for an artist to draw a cartoon of a fire hydrant rather than a tree. Either way, dogs in my neighborhood have a plethora of trees to choose from, and they seem to take advantage of each and every one.

So, why all this talk about dogs and where they relieve themselves?

Well, the other afternoon I was walking our dog (a female, who doesn’t utilize either a tree or a fire hydrant) and noticed that a lot of the trees are discolored from dogs relieving themselves. So, of course, that got me wondering if it’s harmful to trees. After some research, turns out it is and can also cause long term effects to the tree. The bark of the tree provides some protection, but not very much. These trees, though rooted firmly in their foundation, can’t defend themselves, so there they stand, day in and day out, taking whatever the world (or dogs) dumps on them.

Thankfully, we have a way to protect ourselves from becoming the world’s dumping ground.

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.