Some time ago, as I walked along the beach,
I was enthralled by the magnificence
of the large crashing waves breaking just
outside the bay and the smaller waves rolling in
closer to the shore.
As I continued my stroll, I encountered a group of surfers.
They were obviously upset about something,
talking loudly and gesturing towards the sea.
When I asked them what was wrong,
they pointed to just outside the bay,
where the big waves were breaking.
"Look out there," one of them angrily told me.
"Can you see the barrier?"
Looking more closely now, I could indeed see a barrier
stretching across the entire mouth of the bay,
right where the large, enticing waves were breaking.
"We are here on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to surf
these big waves.
We can surf the smaller ones breaking within the bay itself,
but the barrier makes it impossible
for us to surf the big ones.
We have no idea why the barrier is there.
All we know is that it has totally spoiled our trip."
An older man seemed to be growing impatient
as he listened to the ever-increasing complaints
about the barrier.
He pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack
and handed them to one of the surfers,
pointing out towards the barrier.
Each of the surfers looked through the binoculars.
When my turn came, with the help of magnification,
I could see something that I had not been able to see before:
dorsal fins--large sharks feeding near the reef
on the other side of the barrier.
The old surfer retrieved his binoculars
and turned to walk away.
As he did, he said words I will never forget:
"Don't be too critical of the barrier," he said.
"It's the only thing that's keeping you
from being devoured."
Standing on that beautiful beach,
our perspective had suddenly changed.
A barrier that had seemed rigid and restrictive--that seemed
to curtail the fun and excitement of riding the really
big waves--had become something very different.
With our new understanding of the danger that lurked just
below the surface, the barrier now
offered protection, safety, and peace.
As you and I walk the paths of life and pursue our dreams,
God's commands and standards--like
the barrier--can sometimes be difficult to understand.
They may appear rigid and unyielding,
blocking a path that looks fun and exciting
and that is being followed by so many others.
It is relatively easy to follow a course inside the barrier
once we know that there are sharp-toothed predators
swarming just outside of it.
It is more difficult to keep our course within the barrier
when all we can see are thrilling and tantalizing
waves on the other side.
As the Apostle Paul described, "We see through a glass,
darkly," with such a limited perspective that we often
cannot comprehend the great dangers hidden just below
the surface.
But He who "comprehend"comprehend[s] all things"
gives us divine direction, through His commands and loving
guidance, so that we may set a course in our lives that is
protected from spiritual predators and the gaping jaws
of sin.
It is in those times when we choose to exercise our faith,
put our trust in God, and show our love to Him that we
grow and gain the most.
The Lord's commands do not constitute
some grueling, underwater maze of barriers
that we must learn to grudgingly endure in this life
so that we might be exalted in the next.
The barriers established by the Lord
create for us a safe harbor from the evil and destructive
influences that would otherwise drag us down
to the depths of despair.
The Lord's commandments are given out of love and caring.
They are intended for our joy in this life
just as much as they are intended for our joy
and exaltation in the next.
They mark the way that we should act--and more importantly,
they illuminate who we should become.
True obedience, therefore, is giving ourselves entirely
to Him and allowing Him to chart our course, both in calm waters
and in troubled ones, understanding
that He can make more of us than we could ever
make of ourselves.
To that end, He has charted for us a course leading back
to Him, and He has established barriers that
will protect us along the way.
As we do our best to follow that course,
we find true safety, happiness, and peace.
And as we submit to His will, we become
what He wants us to become.