https://odb.org/2025/08/06/tree-debris
James 1:19–25 (NIV): 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
The real-life story of today’s ODB writer of him dealing with a damaged roof and fallen tree debris and branches after a major thunderstorm is an excellent illustration of the Christian teaching of “love your neighbour.” This was because the trees that caused the mess were not his, but his neighbour’s! Under normal circumstances, we would have asked the neighbour to clean up the mess and pay for the repairs.
In fact, if the neighbour’s trees were causing such issues, we could call the Council to cut them down or at least trim the branches. I personally had an experience of about 4.5 years back during the Covid pandemic of a large oil palm tree at the reserve land crashing into the grounds of our old house and damaging the parameter wall. Fortunately, we managed to claim against the Council’s public liability insurance.
Loving your neighbour will often involve tolerance and patience if we have a difficult one. This is because our calling as a believer is to love and be slow to anger. Some do this better than others, but do we must if we bear the name of Jesus. This is practically what it really means to listen to the Word and do what it says. The effect is that it makes us stronger in the faith when we are able to love our neighbour despite the difficulty. Christian principles and teachings are real in the sense that they transform us from within and in our mind as we apply them in our lives. Always remember that God sees and remembers all that we do for Him or in His name. Nothing is ever wasted or lost.
Ronnie's Thoughts 