Caged-In

Happy Labor Day to our U.S Readers.

A friend of mine is an avid urban gardener. She and her family raise their own vegetables in the backyard. I noticed tall cylinder-shaped cages in the middle. She explained that it was for training the tomato vines.

We all live according to laws and rules, which are our boundaries of behavior in society. Just as my niece’s tomato seedlings need their cages to grow and produce large, ripe, delicious fruit, we need boundaries to help us develop into responsible adults.

Sometimes we resist these boundaries. We go 68 in a 65-speed zone. We have that tempting brownie when we have been placed on a medically recommended diet. Who will know?

Then there are those little white lies…

Because we are way too human in nature, we need to be caged-in just like tomatoes or flowering vines. Otherwise, we may grow in a willy-nilly direction.

The Lord, once we let him establish himself in our hearts and our lives, provides the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) to guide us in how we are to treat others. His laws and commandments structure our behavior. We know we are the branches, attached to His vine for survival (John 15:1-8).

All of these things, for our own good and for the benefit of others, cage us in. We should be thankful for these holy boundaries, not resist them. Once we yield to the Holy Spirit’s structure in our lives, we can be truly free to grow.

Father, forgive me when I want my independence from you. Help me realize your boundaries are to guide my growth and protect me. Structure my life according to your will. Cage me in. Amen.

Go Deeper* — Why do you think people resist boundaries? Why did God give us the Ten Commandments?