Guard Rail or Great Wall

Not to long ago my family and I took a drive through the Rocky Mountains. I am quite sure that heaven will have lots of mountains!  In some places the road was narrow. Two lanes each direction with a small wire to divide oncoming traffic.  No emergency lane, just a guard rail set at the edge of the pavement to separate me from the great expanse of nothingness.  A drop off not measured with grassy inches or feet, but with jagged rock cliffs that stretched at times 100 feet or more.  As we drove along this road at speeds nearing 80 miles an hour, with our three precious sons in tow, never once did I think "wow, that guard rail is really spoiling my fun and ruining the view" or "wish that thing wasn't there, it's really limiting my freedom to drive this car."  I understood, without additional explanation, that the rail was there for my protection.  It wasn't meant to fence me in, it was designed to save me in the event of unexpected strife. 

God has put guard rails up too, though sometimes we see them as fences.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength.  Luke 10:27

With all your heart - one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations

With all your mind - the element or elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons

With all your soul - the moral and emotional nature of human beings

With all your strength - capacity for exertion or endurance


Be encouraged!  My God is about relationships. Does He have standards? Yes.  Does He have rules? You bet!  He loves me enough to have guidelines and guardrails.  Do I trust Him enough to obey?