He marked out their appointed times in history and the
boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him.
With temperatures in the 60s, nothing could keep me from
my walk that January afternoon. I circumvented cow pies and mud puddles as I traipsed
through the field and pasture on my way to the water’s edge. But when I arrived,
I was dismayed to find fence posts now dotting the landscape.
Why
would anyone want to put up a fence to restrict access to the bay?
Suddenly I was startled by a succession of booms that
sounded to me like gunshots. I quickly scanned the horizon for any sight of
hunters. Then my eyes landed on a piece of heavy equipment.
From a distance, I recognized my cousin in the operator’s
seat and my brother manning the post driver on the rear.
“Why are you building a fence?” I asked, “Are you keeping
cows in or keeping people out?”
My brother chuckled, “Keeping cows in.”
Our exchange reminded me of a line from the recent award-nominated
film Fences: “Some people build
fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.”[i]
Does God build fences to keep people in?
Not exactly. But He does set boundaries and restrictions.
We can read about it in the first book of the Bible.
God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He gave
them access to all kinds of trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for
food (Genesis
2:9). Yet there was one tree He commanded they not eat from, the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. “For when you eat from it,” He said, “you will
certainly die” (Genesis
2:17).
According to Judah Smith, author of How’s Your Soul?[ii],
this shows us not only that God is gracious but that restriction is important
for a healthy soul.
Just like the fence that protects the cows from wandering
beyond the pasture, God’s restrictions protect us.
God said no to one
tree. Smith challenges, “Can you say no to one
thing that isn’t healthy for your soul?”
Saying no means saying yes to what really matters.
Saying no frees our time and energy to focus on God and His
purpose for our lives. It allows us to flourish within the fence line.
Dear
God, thank You for placing me here in this exact location at this moment in
time for Your specific purpose. Help me to recognize and say no to those
activities that distract my focus and deplete my energy so I can say yes to more
of You. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment. Your feedback is appreciated!