Sounds of an old western song vaguely comes to my ears anytime I stand outside a fence. Do you hear it? I can't remember all the words, just the part, 'don't fence me in'... if I hum the tune a few minutes, a tall cowboy in a white hat rides by...
Fencing serves several purposes. To keep you in, to keep you out or just simply to be decorative. It depends on how you look at it or on which side of the fence you stand. I really like old iron fences and if I could afford one, or could even find that kind of fencing, I'd have it all around my big yard.
My fence would simply be decorative. The gate would always be open to those coming for coffee and a chat.
A fence puts me in mind of boundaries. It lets me know where one property ends and another begins. Boundaries are not always so clearly defined as an iron fence around something. I learned from an early age about limits, and 'invisible' fences. I knew what was allowed and what was not. As children, our parents set the the fence line.
Grandmother's tall bed with the fluffy feather mattress, and a snowy white covering did not have a fence around it. But I knew not to sit on it. And when I did, I also knew the price I'd pay. That hurt!
But don't you think most things are like that? We know the boundaries. We know the price we'll pay. We know the pain.
Yet we ignore the 'fences' that surround many areas in our lives.
There are boundaries as to which movies I watch, boundaries on my speech, the books I read and the way I dress. Even the way I spend my time. I've often wished there was an iron fence that would stop me by force when I push against it. But that's not the way.
The guide book, the Bible, places the boundaries in my life now. God sets the fence line. With a desire in my heart to please Him, and a prayer on my lips to live within the boundaries He has set for me, I have the hope of seeing those 'invisible' fences more clearly.
Have a wonderful day!
