Some time ago, as I walked along the beach, I was enthralled by the magnificence of the large crashing waves breaking just outside the bay and the smaller waves rolling in closer to the shore. As I continued my stroll, I encountered a group of surfers. They were obviously upset about something, talking loudly and gesturing towards the sea. When I asked them what was wrong, they pointed to just outside the bay, where the big waves were breaking. "Look out there," one of them angrily told me. "Can you see the barrier?" Looking more closely now, I could indeed see a barrier stretching across the entire mouth of the bay, right where the large, enticing waves were breaking. "We are here on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to surf these big waves. We can surf the smaller ones breaking within the bay itself, but the barrier makes it impossible for us to surf the big ones. We have no idea why the barrier is there. All we know is that it has totally spoiled our trip." An older man seemed to be growing impatient as he listened to the ever-increasing complaints about the barrier. He pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack and handed them to one of the surfers, pointing out towards the barrier. Each of the surfers looked through the binoculars. When my turn came, with the help of magnification, I could see something that I had not been able to see before: dorsal fins--large sharks feeding near the reef on the other side of the barrier.

The old surfer retrieved his binoculars and turned to walk away. As he did, he said words I will never forget: "Don't be too critical of the barrier," he said. "It's the only thing that's keeping you from being devoured." Standing on that beautiful beach, our perspective had suddenly changed. A barrier that had seemed rigid and restrictive--that seemed to curtail the fun and excitement of riding the really big waves--had become something very different. With our new understanding of the danger that lurked just below the surface, the barrier now offered protection, safety, and peace. As you and I walk the paths of life and pursue our dreams, God's commands and standards--like the barrier--can sometimes be difficult to understand. They may appear rigid and unyielding, blocking a path that looks fun and exciting and that is being followed by so many others. It is relatively easy to follow a course inside the barrier once we know that there are sharp-toothed predators swarming just outside of it. It is more difficult to keep our course within the barrier when all we can see are thrilling and tantalizing waves on the other side. As the Apostle Paul described, "We see through a glass, darkly," with such a limited perspective that we often cannot comprehend the great dangers hidden just below the surface. But He who "comprehend"comprehend[s] all things" gives us divine direction, through His commands and loving guidance, so that we may set a course in our lives that is protected from spiritual predators and the gaping jaws of sin. It is in those times when we choose to exercise our faith, put our trust in God, and show our love to Him that we grow and gain the most. The Lord's commands do not constitute some grueling, underwater maze of barriers that we must learn to grudgingly endure in this life so that we might be exalted in the next. The barriers established by the Lord create for us a safe harbor from the evil and destructive influences that would otherwise drag us down to the depths of despair. The Lord's commandments are given out of love and caring. They are intended for our joy in this life just as much as they are intended for our joy and exaltation in the next. They mark the way that we should act--and more importantly, they illuminate who we should become. True obedience, therefore, is giving ourselves entirely to Him and allowing Him to chart our course, both in calm waters and in troubled ones, understanding that He can make more of us than we could ever make of ourselves. To that end, He has charted for us a course leading back to Him, and He has established barriers that will protect us along the way. As we do our best to follow that course, we find true safety, happiness, and peace. And as we submit to His will, we become what He wants us to become.