An Open Gate

My last post talked about the need for us and our children to be content living inside the boundaries that God has laid out for us. I still believe everything that I wrote, however the more I thought about the post the more I realized that for some of us, it is too late....we are already on the outside of the fence. Today's post is for anyone who finds themselves on the other side of the boundary line.....God has left the gate open for you!

It is true that God gives us boundaries and guidelines because He loves us and desires the best for us, much like we do for our own children. However, when we find ourselves living outside those boundaries and guidelines we need to remember that their is still hope. God is always inviting us back into His presence. He leaves a gate open for you and me.

Romans 3:23 reminds us that we "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."We have all made choices to leave the fence and walk our own way. But, the great news is that He sent His son Jesus to make a way for us to return. Romans 3:24 continues and reminds us that we all are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. " There is an open gate!

No matter where outside the fence we have been, no matter how long we have stayed outside the fence and no matter how far from God we feel.....He loves us, His son has died for us, and we are welcome in His presence when we allow the blood of Christ to wash over us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we invite Jesus into our hearts and into our lives, we are a "new creation, the old has gone and the new has come." Not only does Jesus open the gate and let us inside the fence, He gives us a "do over." We can start completely fresh, completely new and gain new strength to stay inside the fence and turn away from the life we once lived.

Living inside the fence can be hard, but I have learned that anything precious or important requires hard work. Being a parent who is intentional with their children is hard.....being married to one person for all time is hard....forgiving others as we want to be forgiven is hard.....graduating from college is hard.....doing your best at everything you do is hard.....living a life according to God's best plan can be hard, but with this perseverance comes hope. Hope for today, hope for tomorrow and hope for eternity.

I pray that when we find ourself or our children outside the fence, that we would remember that we have a God who loves us, who believes in second chances and who leaves the gate open for us to run back into His presence. I know that these are promises that I rest on everyday!