What's With All of the Tape?

I remember an occasion when I was around five years old, and I eagerly wanted to go roller-skating within the double carport attached to my family's house. The carport was empty at the time (as my dad was off in the one car my parents had at that time), and all I could think about was using my new roller-skates and having a blast within the empty carport area. It was like the carport was calling me, "Brandon, come skate on me! I'm sitting here empty ....a flat hard surface ...just perfect for skating ...what are you waiting on?!!" But my mom wasn't about to let me go roller-skating without taking some precautions first! I remember her instructing me to skate a few minutes in the kitchen while she "prepared" the carport for me. As I did, I remember thinking, "This kitchen is alright, but it's nothing compared to what the carport will be like! It's so small, and the carport is so huge!" Moments later, my mom came in and told me that the carport was "ready" for my roller-skating fun! As I made my way into the carport, I observed why my mom had made me wait before using the carport. In the absence of any available rope, my mom had taken numerous strands of thick tape and strategically strung them across the one part of the carport that had no form of a wall and which led into the driveway. She had done this to protect me from accidentally skating out of the carport and into the driveway, which happened to be a very steep driveway that sloped right into a fairly busy road. I even remember her telling me before I got started, "Brandon, try not to skate near the tape. It's there to keep you from going out of the carport, but it's best if you don't even get near it so you don't get stuck and all tangled up."

Guess what! I had a lot of fun skating in that "prepared" carport, and later (when the time was right) I had even more fun skating in a real roller-skating rink that was far better than even the carport! But you see, each level of skating (from the kitchen, to the carport, to a roller-skating rink) had boundaries. Those boundaries were not there to keep me from having fun, but to insure that I would have the most fun in the most healthy and lasting way!

It's the same when God gives us boundaries. He's not trying to suck the pleasure out of life while he gets kicks by telling us what to do and treating us like a puppet, but instead (like my mom who "prepared" the carport) God's boundaries "prepare" every situation, thus allowing us to to enjoy life to it's fullest! When we go outside of his boundaries, we doom ourselves to steep slopes into dangerous territories. As Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." When we go "our way" instead of remaining within God's set boundaries and parameters, we always suffer.

Believe it or not, God wants you to live a happy and abundant life (John 10:10), as you remain satisfied in him. As John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him," so don't think for a minute that God's established boundaries are anything less than for your well being and necessary for your overall happiness and satisfaction. Therefore, we should determine to live within God's boundaries. In fact, we should try not to even play it close and tinker around anywhere near them, lest we stumble and get "stuck and all tangled up!"