But these Rules Don't Apply to Me

I am actually amazed that it does not happen more often. I am talking about injuries in the playground areas of restaurants. Here are the three things I most often see: someone gets their fingers stepped on by someone wearing shoes; a big kid knocks down a smaller one; someone gets knocked down when they went the wrong way up the slide. What is amazing about that is that almost every playground has three common rules: take your shoes off; no one over a certain height or age is allowed in; go up the stairs and down the slide.

So, almost every accident is because someone did not follow the rules. Why? Sometimes they may not know the rules and no parent takes the time to read it for them. Some families think they know better how to protect their kids. They do not want their child playing without shoes so they endanger others. Maybe they think the rules do not apply to them so they can climb the slide any way they want. Others think the playground was surely put there solely for their family’s enjoyment. So it does not matter if their child is too old, or if they do not follow the rules.

And we wonder why there are accidents and children get hurt. It reminds me that we adults are the same way in our “playground”. God made us. He gave us a way to live that would benefit us and those we share this world with. But every day we witness selfish behavior, cruelty, abuse, greed, and addictive behaviors. Maybe some do not know about the way we were designed to live. Others think they know better how to handle life than the one who made us. Others think these ideas should apply to everyone else, but not them. And there are those who think the universe revolves around them so they are free to live any way they choose.

Is it any wonder that our world is such a hard place?

I can help you make sense of God’s blueprint for life. It will work for you, for me, and for all of us. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org or join the blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.