Tuesday, March 29, 2011

What rules?

For one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8b

I often don't admit this but I am a rule follower. Not that I don't like to expand the mold or re-order things every so often but give me a set of rules and I feel more comfortable and relaxed. They give order to chaos and something to talk about at parties.

Of course rules are one of the things that some people don't like about organized religion. Religious rules seem to confine us and limit our freedom when what we seek from God is a freedom from the evil in this world. If find it hard that eating Jello will make me a bad person; that envying my neighbor's new ipad will hurt others, or that fixing my son's bloody knee will make that much of a difference.

But then I think about the rules I've set in my own house:

-No throwing balls inside
-You make a mess, you clean it up
-Don't do your homework in the morning
-Eat healthy, learn something, have fun

The list goes on but you get the drift. I have rules so that we can live together happily and be healthy. Sure there are times when we eat junk food. When the kids are sick, I'll clean up after them. But the rules are there to order things and because I love my family.

Love makes it possible for me to understand the rules. Sometimes I may think they are weird or out of date, but I understand that at one time a rule was made because it made it easier to love one another.

So if rules make you edgy, just think about love and know that when you love someone you are following the only rule that really matters.

Until Everyone Hears,

1 comment:

Mark Jordan said...

Great perspective in regards to love being the heart of the rules. Nicely done.

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