Guardrails

Have you ever thought about guardrails? The U.S. Department of Transportation states that guardrails are “first and foremost, a safety barrier intended to shield a motorist who has left the roadway.”

We have all seen guardrails over bridges, in the medians of highways, and on many roads we have traveled. They appear when road conditions are dangerous. My son attends college in a mountain town in N.C. The drive is breathtaking. However, there is one area where, in dense fog, you are in danger of going over the side of the road if you take a curve too quickly. Thankfully I have never had to use guardrails, but it is reassuring to know there was something to stop me in case I need it.

You may be wondering why I am thinking about guardrails in such depth. The other day I was taking my morning walk on a road, I don’t usually walk on. I noticed a guardrail on the opposite side of the street. It seemed odd since this was a residential area with no hairpin turns, soft shoulders, and other seemingly dangerous road conditions. On my way back, I walked past this barrier and noticed a significant drop-off that I could not see from my perspective on the other side of the road. Someone who has done research knew to place protective barriers here.

I started to think about guardrails for my life. Do I recognize barriers God has placed around me to protect me from hazards? Do I think I don’t need God’s roadblocks since, from my perspective, everything looks fine, and I can’t see the hidden danger? Do I see the protective device and ignore it because it doesn’t fit my current plan? What kind of guardrails do I need? Would I benefit from physical barriers only? What about spiritual and mental fences? Could I learn to embrace the protective guards in my life, like when I come home from seeing my son at college and realize the safety they offer?

Guardrails offered in Proverbs keep us on the straight and narrow path. Like physical guardrails to keep us from going over the edge, God has given us spiritual guards to keep us safe and secure as we travel through this life. God has given us these fences for our protection. Many of the kings of Israel and Judah (1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles) ignored God’s offers of protection and guidance. Most generations of kings were more wicked and disobedient than their predecessors. Occasionally, a king came to power who feared the Lord and obeyed God and his ways. These kings were blessed, while the others were not. Paying attention to guardrails and avoiding dangerous behaviors, attitudes, feelings, and thoughts can bring us peace and safety.

There are many different areas of our life where guardrails would be helpful. We could all benefit from barriers to our physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health. I have been thinking a lot about guarding my heart and mind. In my opinion, I either make good or bad decisions in these two areas. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” I love the image of the helmet of salvation to guard my mind. (Ephesians 6:17). We must be careful of what we allow in our mind by what we read and view. Our feelings can also take root in our minds and sway our behavior. A few guardrails for our hearts and mind would be to pray constantly for wisdom, discernment, and strength. Also, read the Bible, memorize scripture, be careful of the people we socialize with, have a grateful spirit, and take our thoughts captive. We can also ask the Lord to renew our minds. Scripture has many examples of God telling us the best way to live. Reading a Proverb daily to gain insight into the wisdom of Solomon may be helpful. Romans 12:2 says, “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will”.

God may remind me to pay attention to the guardrails He has set up to protect my journey, even though I may not like the barriers. Adam and Eve just had to do one thing; not eat of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3). They had to pay attention to one guardrail. Satan entered the garden and lied to them. They crashed directly into the guardrail and condemned humankind to this sin-filled life we all live now. Thankfully God has a redemption plan and a ramp back to living for Him. He sent his only son as a sacrificial lamb so that anyone who calls on Jesus’ name for salvation will live eternally with God in Heaven.

It is so essential to guard our minds. Satan is sly and devious and attacks us in our thoughts. Suppose he can get us to doubt God’s love for us, faithfulness, truthfulness, or any of God’s characteristics. Once we go down that path, we will run headlong into danger. Setting up barriers to guard our minds is vital to escape Satan’s lies before a dangerous situation occurs. One way to set up a guardrail is to know God’s word. Part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6) is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword is the only offensive weapon in the full armor. We need to use this weapon with precision and wield it against our enemy to destroy the lies he tells us. If we know who God is through his revelation in his word, we will know when Satan is lying to us about God. If we have committed scripture to memory, we will have many guardrails in place so that when a situation comes up that looks enticing to us, we can see how it compares to what scripture says. There are guardrails throughout the Bible to teach us about right living, thoughts, and attitudes. Jesus spoke of how to live in the gospels, and Paul gave us direction in his writings. Colossians 3:5 says, “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.”

Rebuilding guardrails after an accident must happen. After we crash into our barriers, we need to ask God for forgiveness. Through his forgiveness, we can reconstruct our guardrails because while living on earth, we need these protections. Because our journey on earth is filled with dangerous and scary situations, there won’t be a day that we don’t need protection from our wayward thoughts and actions or the devil’s schemes. God is the anchor for all our guardrails. Otherwise, they may give way when a collision occurs. I want to look at the barriers God has placed in my life as freedom-giving, not life-restricting. Many areas of my life need protecting, and I pray for wisdom to know when I am approaching danger.

Thank God for the guardrails he has set or inspires us to set for ourselves. With these protective barriers we may avoid ending up in a ditch and needing to climb or be towed out. There is restoration through God’s love and mercy, but I will have to live with the consequences of my choices. God, in his mercy, offers a better, more free way to live. A life with less damage and scars from the wreckage that, on my own, I will inflict on my life. This world encourages me to go faster and faster and live more dangerously each day. So, I want to sit on the guardrails God has placed in my life and find strength and power in them.