Fences

My dogs hate squirrels. Especially squirrels in trees. The dogs bark and whine, running and jumping as they follow the squirrels from below. One of the dogs even used to climb high in the trees after her hated foes, until she got too old for such.

When they are in the middle of a chase, the dogs become frustrated when they find a fence between them and their target. If the ground is soft enough, they quickly burrow under the obstacle and continue the chase.

We've recently moved to a new neighborhood, one with more traffic than our old neighborhood. That's a bit of a problem, since the dogs keep digging out under the fence. It doesn't matter that the dogs are only chasing squirrels; there's mortal danger for them if they wander out into the street.

So I spend a lot of time and effort trying to thwart my dogs' plans to leave our yard. It's not that I'm against squirrel chasing nor that I want my dogs to feel frustrated. I just want to keep them safe from the dangers that lie outside the borders of our yard.

Does it ever feel like God just made up a bunch of arbitrary rules that were designed to ruin our fun? Someone said that everything truly enjoyable is either illegal or sinful. Do you ever feel that way?

Some of the lifestyles that the world offers look very inviting, even though we know they are not what God wants for us. Surely life in the fast lane is more fun than life on the straight and narrow!

When I get to feeling like that, I remember my dogs. They aren't looking to get run over. They aren't hoping to get lost. They just want to chase squirrels. What they don't realize is the danger that puts them in. They don't understand that the fence that seems restricting is actually something put there to protect them.

I need to remember the same. God's way is the best way. The Christian life is the healthiest life. In the end, it's the happiest life, as well.

We have to accept the fact that God knows what's best for us. And we don't.

Want to talk some more about the kind of life God wants us to live? Join the conversation on www.hopeforlife.org or write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.