Guiding Lines

 Over the past few weeks, there have been several times I have driven on a road that was recently resurfaced. It has no center or edge lanes painted on it yet. Each time I traveled on this road, I found myself a bit disoriented on where on the road I was supposed to be!

Of course, since I've been driving for almost 20 years, I had a pretty good guage on where I should be driving, but it is amazing how those faithful yellow and white lines truly give direction, guidance, and how easily they are taken for granted!

It reminded me of our journey through life. If we're not careful to acknowledge the spiritual "guiding lines" in our lives, we can easily get off course and head towards destruction. Jesus needs to be our central guide through these twists and turns of life. If we continue to make decisions without seeking His wisdom, we likely will be setting ourselves up for a head-on collision.

Likewise, the edge lines protect us from being sucked off-course and into a ditch. God's Word is the needed guide to protect us from drifting off of the mission He has for us. If we aren't continually feeding on His Word, we will find ourselves lost and stranded.

This is just a simple, yet profound, reminder at how quickly we can go off-course if we aren't alert and aware. These thoughts have been compounded and illustrated in my recent read, "Mama Bear Apologetics." It has been a rich and thought-provoking book on how to parent in a world where our little cubs are bombarded with untruths or half-truths from toddlerhood on up. 

Chapter 9 entitled, "You're Wrong to Tell Me That I'm Wrong" was a bit a of a wake-up call to me. Hillary and Rebekah acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges we, as parents, face is wanting simple answers for our kids. The easiest (but least effective) way to get a simple answer is to over simplify a problem. We can no longer get away with a response of, "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" and go no furthur. This kind of "reasoning" assumes a premodern mindset, and we are in post-postmodern times. (page 153)

Yes, Scripture is vital and necessary for our understanding of truth, but we cannot use it as a single tool. It must be used as a manual. We need to use it to guide our conversations and interactions every moment of every day. Just like drifting from an unmarked lane on the road leads to consequences, the same could be said of life. We cannot only enforce rules, but we also need to provide the reasonings behind the rules. Children need to understand rules, (or guidelines) are created out of love for everyone's benefit. This will allow them to have an understanding of both physical consequences, but also moral ones as well. The book goes onto summarize the three main reasons God created rules: to protect us, to create an orderly society, and to give us true freedom.

As you drive about in the coming days and weeks, I pray that the yellow and white guidelines on the road can serve as a reminder to give some honest thought to the guiding lines in your life and the lives of your family members. Are you consistently seeking God and His Word for His guidance? Or are your boundary lines fading and you find yourself heading towards danger? Are you using Scripture as a single tool or a consistent manual? Are the rules in your household depleteing life and energy or are they creating a thriving and interactive atmosphere?

Don't become lazy and careless! Don't take those consistent, necessary lines for granted! Keep striving to stay centered in God's mission for your life!