The details that led up to this are not terribly important…..perhaps a topic for another day. We arrived at the prison early in the morning. There was a remarkably detailed security screening to get in. I was rejected and sent back outside 4 times to correct some violation of the rules before they finally let me in. We went to a well lit room and waited with about 100 other visitors. There was a 3 foot by 3 foot space marked out on the floor. We were allowed to hug my son briefly inside of the square; but, no other physical contact was allowed. There were other similar rules posted on the walls. My son was extremely careful about following these rules……so careful that it was almost strange. It turns out that breaking the rules could add a year or two to his imprisonment.
What was so strange was that my son, who had spent his life making and following his own set of rules was now carefully studying and adhering to an extensive set of external rules. He followed the rules even when he disagreed with them. He followed the rules even when he didn’t understand them …..when he couldn’t see the logic behind them.
There are two things that I learned about rules during that visit:
Rules are costly. They cost the person who must follow them by restricting their freedom. They cost the person who made the rules by the price of monitoring and enforcing the rules. It can cost up to $70,000/year to imprison someone…….and that doesn’t include the cost of law enforcement prior to imprisonment. Why do we tolerate these costs? We spend all of this time, effort, and money, because the rules help our society to function smoothly and safely. Every rule that I encountered in that prison was designed to make my visit with my son safer and more productive…….and every one of them was a pain in the neck.
Rules are the interface between us and a legitimate authority. Whether we understand the rules……whether we like the rules……whether we agree with the rules or not…….we are subject to them and their consequences. The fact that we may not like the authority…….that we may not even know the authority…….that we don’t understand the motivation and the plan of the authority is irrelevant.
Like a child……we chafe against the rules. Once, my wife asked my son why he didn’t like school. His reply:
“Because I can’t do whatever I want!”.
And that pretty much sums up our relationship with God and his rules. The rules become a problem when our plans are different from God’s plans.
There are three things about God’s plan:
It comes out of love. Love for his entire creation is the essence of God.
The rules are a manifestation of God’s plan…….and his plan is a manifestation of his love…….and his rules are good…….even when we cannot see where they are taking us. It may even be a destination that is generations away.
The rules are a manifestation of God’s authority. It is his plan for us that counts…….not ours.
So……you discover that you are pregnant. You are going to have a child……and that child is not a part of your plan. Fact is, your child is going to disrupt your plan for your life. Having just returned from the prison, I can tell you that this disruption is not just a possibility…….it is a certainty.
Know that your child is a creation of God and is a part of his good plan. Maybe your child will make a big contribution to mankind…….maybe it will be your great grandchild who cures cancer. Maybe your great great granddaughter has a critical role…….in God’s plan.
And that is your delimma……every day.
My rules……..or God’s rules.
My plan……or God’s plan.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul, Romans 13:10 ESV
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
John 20:21-22 ESV
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Matthew 8:8-10 ESV