Touring around the Trouble

Read: Proverbs 1:24-33

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.                                                                                                        Proverbs 11:14

     I don’t live too far from Luray Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley, so we took the high school there for a field trip a couple of years ago. As we descended into the damp darkness, we were amazed by the immensity of the caverns. While the tour guide began telling us everything he knew about the place, we passed several areas where there were very steep drop-offs. There were railings put in place as boundaries to keep us from accidentally walking over the edge. They had been placed there years before by those who had explored the cave long before we ever came along. Believe it or not, the tour guide never decided to lead us off the edge of one of those cliffs either. It may come as a surprise to you, but our guide actually warned us against getting too close to the edge for fear that anyone might disappear over the side. It was very smart of us to take his advice because he had been through those caverns many times, and he knew where the danger spots were.

     Your parents and counselors are your tour guides through life. The boundaries they have placed in your life are there because they know where most of the pitfalls are. They had explored the teenage years long before you ever came along. Their boundaries are not there to keep you from having fun, but to keep you from ruining your life. They don’t want you to fall over an edge that you didn’t even realize was there. If I could give you any advice in relation to the advice they give you, it would be this: follow it. As your guides, they will never lead you into something that is harmful for you. They know you the best, and they love you the most. You may find it hard to believe now, but they have your ultimate success and your best interest at heart. In fact, much of their advice stems from having made mistakes themselves that they know you will be prone to make.

     A surprising thing happened as we explored Luray Caverns: we saw so many captivating things that were “within the boundaries” that getting remarkably close to the edge just wasn’t that interesting to us. We found that we didn’t have to get as close as we could to the edge to actually have a good time and enjoy ourselves. When you decide to live within the boundaries placed in your life by those who love you, you will find that life has many more things to offer and enjoy than you ever thought possible.

Quote of the day: “Allow a pig and a boy to have everything they want and you will end up with a good pig and a bad boy.”