Monday, November 17, 2008

Gated Life.


Little Miss Sophia is a girl on the go and into everything! She clears books off the shelves, towels out of kitchen drawers, cookie cutters out of my crock. You name it – she will be into it. We have our stairs gated so she doesn’t fall down them. What we find funny is, if one of us goes downstairs, she’ll go over to the gate and put her chubby fingers through the holes – peeking her nose through too. She giggles and squeals with delight as you sneak up the stairs declaring “Peek-a-Boo” even when she sees you coming. The baby gate is part of our life now that requires us to open it and close it every time one of us goes to the basement – for the inconvenience, we have safety for Sophia.

Gates were used in bible times to secure cities behind walls – to keep people safe on the inside from outside elements of wild animals, a way to screen out people they didn’t want to enter their cities, from enemies and in times of war. All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages.Deuteronomy 3:5

I think people sometimes gate or wall their hearts – to be safe from opening up to people, to not see the poverty or sad things around them – it is easier to close the gate and not see needs we can’t begin to fathom how to help.

So – some gates are good in our lives, they can keep children safe – while others serve a reverse purpose of holding in what should be let free. I challenge you, my blog readers, to find the gates in your lives and ask yourself it is a helpful gate or detrimental gate? Then take steps to secure your gate or open it.

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