The flags on the stairs gave us a warning of where we shouldn’t step.
On Sunday after church, my family decided to go for a walk at the Botanical Gardens. We all had individual projects to work on, but the weather was so wonderful, that it felt wrong for us not to get out an enjoy it.
We are big believers that God has His fingerprints all over nature and for us, enjoying Creation as a family, is a form of worship.
We meandered a while by a creek that eventually lead us to the river. We walked along the river for a while, taking photos and breathing in the cooler fall air. We eventually followed a trail that lead us back up to civilization. There were lots of flowerbeds and some sculptures and fountains. Some areas had lots of steps.
The last steps that we headed up, had yellow flags in some places. Those flags warned us not to step in those areas because the bricks were loose and a fall could happen that could lead to injury.
My daughter and her daddy had the discussion about what would happen if one were to step on those steps anyway and fall. Could that person sue? My hubby told her he didn’t think you could sue the state of Georgia.
I thought about those flags and that conversation long after our little hike.
I thought about how nice it would be if we had little caution flags in real life, warning us of the places where we should not tread.
Almost as soon as I thought it, a little voice in my head reminded me that we do have those warnings.
When we are in regular prayer, and we read our Bible, the Holy Spirit is really good at warning us of the places we should not go and about the decisions we should not make.
When I think back on my own life and some of my own biggest mistakes, I knew on some level, that they were wrong before I made them. But, I made them anyway. Sometimes the consequences were disastrous.
And as I found myself in a pit of my own making, was it right for me to blame God? After all, I had been warned.
Ummm, no.
What about as a society and as a country, do we get those flags? Of course we do. God is not a Sunday God. His rules and plans don’t just apply to us on Sundays sitting in the church pews. They apply to our everyday lives as well.
When we make decisions contrary to His teachings and there are consequences, do we have the right to be angry? Can we sue God?
It’s so easy to “lean on our own understanding.” After all, we tend to believe that we know best.
But, the Bible tells us differently. We are warned not to do certain things. There are flags.
Sometimes we don’t understand why, but trust and obedience are part of our faith, no matter how difficult that may be at times. We can choose to avoid the flags or not.
I’m learning in my own walk, to watch for those flags. Some stairs in need of repair, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂