DON'T GET HOSED

ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE POSTED TO YAHOO! NEWS ON FEBRUARY 28, 2019, IT SEEMS THAT FIREFIGHTERS IN Anaheim, California, whipped up quite a kerfuffle with how they worked around a car illegally parked in front of a fire hydrant.

As you can see in this photo, they simply made do by breaking the back door windows so as to complete their work. Quite ingenious work, I do believe, and I applaud them.

After all, the owner of the car can't have a beef with them, because if the owner had simply obeyed the law everyone know from driver's ed or taking the driver's exam, the car would not have been in this position. To paraphrase a character from Seinfeld, "No sympathy for you!"

Alas, in the ensuing brouhaha that erupted on Twitter, it seems some were incredulous that the firefighters would resort to such tactics rather than going over or around the car. From the Anaheim Fire Department: "In answer as to why break the windows instead of going under, over, or around the car ... it doesn't work. The hose needs a straight line out of the hydrant."

In reading this article, I wonder how much of our lives get so complicated simply because we do things even though we know better. For those who belong in the Christian tradition, we know there are certain things outlawed in scripture that we engage in nonetheless, for no good or justifiable reason at all. We also know that when we choose, overtly or not, to operate outside the standards by which we are called to live, there are consequences to our actions. These consequences are not the fault of anyone but ourselves, because we chose simply to ignore what we've been taught.

Long story short, let's make sure to not park in front of the metaphorical or real fire hydrant, for when we do, we cannot get upset when we experience less-than-ideal outcomes because of our own foolish decisions.

Grace and Peace, Lamar