Hand Rails

Hand rails are put up for a purpose. Safety. To keep us from falling over the edge of something. It could be the edge of a stair well or it could be the edge of the Grand Canyon.

Yet, there is something in us that does not like hand rails. We witness this, especially in young boys, who feel restricted by any barriers meant for safety and which also keep them from "fun".

God has placed hand rails in our lives such as parents when we are little, spouses in adult life, the Community of the Faithful and so on. But let me back up and state that again--"God has placed them as such in our lives."

I wonder how subconscious our dislike of hand rails really is. None of us like having someone or something deter our "freedom". The word of the Lord was a hand rail to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived and Adam made a choice to ignore God's hand rail and to lean out over the Grand Canyon of Sin. As you know, THEY FELL! What if we saw a young child fall from a great height. That is our tragedy in Genesis 3. We have been struggling on the bottom of that canyon ever since!

Maybe it is time to dredge up from our subconscious the truth that we hate our hand rails. We hate anything and anyone who keeps us from what we want to do, that try to prevent us from independence from God.

Once we have realized the list of those who have been God's gift to us as hand rails, we realize that our anger is ultimately towards God. He has lovingly put protections in our lives and we, like petulant children, have despised the One who is actually keeping us safe.

Let God show you who and what those hand rails are. We may need to forgive them and then also ask forgiveness for not appreciating them or the One Who sent them to keep us from horrible falls in our lives.

Blessings,
Father Scott +