Fenced In

 

 

Picture by Caprice Miller

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law. – Proverbs 29:18

When first looking at this picture we might consider singing the song “Don’t Fence Me In” for these horses.  (This is Hagen, Morty and Gus by the way.)  Such beautiful creatures need to run free and wild, right?  While there is a place for less domesticated horses to run wild, consider what might have happened if these powerful creatures were not given some boundaries to roam within.  Instead of taking this lovely picture of them, Caprice might have been trying to avoid hitting them in the road.  They would have become a danger to themselves and others.  Thankfully, they were protected within their fence.   It looks like they need to utilize more of the space given to them though.

Sometimes the concept of a fence or boundary can be misunderstood.  It can be considered limiting and restrictive.  But let’s consider boundaries within the context of God’s laws.  In His infinite wisdom and love for His children, God gave us laws that are meant to protect us.  They are boundaries for our lives so that we can live in peace and harmony with Him and with those around us.  God’s laws give us direction, a vision for our lives.  And as the verse today says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained…”.   (In other words, we can hurt ourselves and those around us.)

As parents we have a vision for our children to grow into healthy, intelligent, wise adults who love the Lord.  We realize that in order for this vision to have any possibility of becoming reality we must give our children boundaries to work within.  We keep them away from hot surfaces and sharp objects that will harm them.  We don’t allow them to run in dangerous places like busy streets.   And we make sure they are safely strapped into car seats for protection.  We can only imagine the results if we did not give our children some boundaries of freedom to live within.   In much the same way God has done something similar for us.  His laws for our lives are designed to protect us so that we may grow into the adults He has designed us to be.  His vision for our lives is so much greater than we can ever imagine.   What would happen if we actually lived in the freedom within those boundaries instead of pounding against the protection surrounding us?   Like the horses above, maybe we should utilize more of the freedom God has given us as we strive toward His vision for our lives.