Fences

My family has always had dogs. We love them and just can’t live without them. They make us happy. Because we have dogs, we have always had  a fence around the yard. Not only does the fence keep them in and safe from being run over by a car, it also keeps predators like coyotes out. Our fence also keeps deer from eating my hydrangeas and hostas. When you put work and money into growing something, you don’t want just anything coming along and destroying it, right?

Our current fence is a simple field fence. When we put it in, it was really plain and ugly, but over time, parts of it have been covered with honeysuckle vine that smells wonderful in the spring. Other parts have been covered with wild muscadine vine that produces very sweet, edible grapes in the fall. We didn’t plant these vines; they just grew. We can hardly see the fence itself anymore.

As I was checking out the fence the other day, it reminded me of the Bible in our lives. When we first start reading it, it can seem confining like a fence to keep us in. There are rules and things we as Christians, are not supposed to do. But if we keep reading it, we find that the rules are meant to keep us safe inside God’s plan and will for our lives and just as importantly, it keeps predators out, not just the really scary kind like coyotes, but the kind that seem gentle like deer, but still want to harm or destroy the good things we have planted. When we read the Bible regularly, the fence starts to fade and we no longer see it because it’s covered with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Those are found in Galatians 5:22 if you want to look them up. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. What would the world look like if we all produced that kind of fruit? I think it has to start with reading the Bible. If we want to be at peace, live in joy, have patience with our kids, spouse, co-workers, neighbors, if we want to learn to be faithful in all that we do, if we want to learn self-control (this includes no extra piece of cake after 9:00, otherwise known as will power!), if we want to learn to be a gentler person or a kinder person or even a better person, the Bible is a great place to start.

I know, it’s easy to get bogged down and can be difficult to read, but try an updated version like the NLT or The Message. Try for just one chapter a day. Get a buddy to commit to read it with you. That’s what I do. Keep at it and watch the fruit grow!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂