GRATEFUL for GUIDELINES

As a newcomer to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I read the posts on the host blog fairly frequently to make sure I kept up with what was going on. I especially appreciated the ones which listed some simple guidelines to follow to make the project as enjoyable as possible for all who participated.

As I’ve gone through this first week I’ve kept them in mind and tried to follow as many as I could before posting my thoughts. Some I couldn’t apply due to the nature of my blog; others were a challenge in themselves due to time constraints. To some I was simply unable to comply due to a lack of knowledge, no matter how willing my heart was.

An example of the latter was the instruction to turn off the word verification on comments to make it easy for people to respond. I read that advice repeatedly in the days preceding the start of the event, and found myself muttering, “I’d be only too glad to do that, if someone would just show me how!”

And someone did. After reading one of my first posts, co-host Stephen Tremp tried to comment and then noticed my blogging sin. He very kindly told me I could find the solution to my problem on his blog (www.breakthroughblogs.blogspot.com) and when I visited his site I was thrilled to find he even had a tab with easy-tofollow instructions! In minutes my problem was solved.

I read somewhere that fences around playgrounds make a huge difference to children’s utilizaton of the same. It was found that they actually used and enjoyed every inch of enclosed playgrounds, while kids playing in those without protective boundaries tended to huddle more in the center of the play space. The fences that some viewed as an unnecessary restriction actually increased the comfort level of those playing inside.

The same situation applies to me in my Christian walk. From the outside looking in, the rules and regulations found in the Bible seem to be a form of bondage instigated by a controlling and manipulative God. But once I became a believer I found that the exact opposite was true. The Word of God was full of wisdom on how to live my life to the fullest, and I never felt so free as when I began to follow the directions I found there.

There were times when I needed a little help in seeing how they related to situations I was going through. some insight as to why they were important, and some practical help in applying them to my life. And God provided those through people who walked beside me along the way, explaining things as we moved along.

I’ve come to see them as instructions given by a loving Parent who only wants the best for His children and longs to see them kept safe as they travel through life. As a result I’ve developed a real gratitude for the guidelines that surround my life, and an intense love for the Father who put them there.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
(Psalm 119:105 KJV)