Doesn't this true photo just give you the chills?
For miles the Grand Canyon rim doesn't have a fence. Only in exclusive places are there fences. Some resent the fence and struggle against its protection to get a "closer look" at the depths below. Others walk away to freely stand on the rims that are not fenced in. The year we visited the Grand Canyon, 5 people including employees at the Canyon, had already fallen off the unprotected edges and had plunged into the depths below.
Resenting and struggling against the exclusive Advice to Members fence? That means you are facing the wrong direction. Turn around and run away from the edge. That fence you are fighting against is protecting you from plunging into the depths below.
Seeking liberty on the fenceless edges? Just know that many who chose "freedom on the rim" ended up perishing because of one unprotected careless slip. Spiritually, satan deceives us into believing the view from the deadly rim is beautiful. The fence is there to keep us from falling. Turn away from "rim living" and you will soon not even remember your fence struggles because they will be far behind you.
4 comments:
Good thought. AMEN!!! People are always asking exactly where the "line" is and then they want to live nudged up next to it. It's SO much safer to get far enough away from the "line" that you can't even see it anymore. Next to the "line" on the other side are all the non-Christians who are just morally good people--nice people, but not going to heaven. People who live next to the line are indistinguishable from one another; you can't tell which side of the line they're on. Many years ago I quit toeing up to the line and opted to find safety, contentment and JOY in being unquestionably on the side of holiness and total submission. Occasionally laxity will cause me to unknowingly inch back toward the "line." I want to stay alert and determined to live on the Lord's side and not continually rub shoulders with "the other side."
There . . . there's another message to add to yours. HA!
At the Grand Canyon, there is also the winding, switchback "Bright Angel" trail that leads to the bottom of the canyon. Many call out, "I've found a path with no fences!!" 2Co_11:14,15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
See you can't LIVE at the bottom of that canyon. You can die there, but you can't live there.
There are mule trains you can ride to the bottom of the canyon and ride them right back up. They take young mules and lay small burdens on their backs until the mule gets desensitized to the dizzying heights and the ever increasing pack burden.
When we visited the Grand Canyon a young pack mule got frightened and fell down the trail. When the mules learn to be calm, then they are allowed transport people up and down the trail.
The denominational world makes a living with Baalam's donkeys. Bringing people back up and down that trail and say, "see, it's safe". However, if you ever get injured in the Grand Canyon, that mule team is not going to bring you back up. An enormous sum must be paid in advance for a rescue team to come and get you by foot and helicopter.
The Grand Canyon is surrounded by flat wilderness. It is 20+ miles to the nearest tourist town and 50+ miles to the next. We can become so fascinated with rim and canyon living that we forget that the Great Rocky Mountains are just down the road.
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