As we waited to leave, a guy with dark weathered skin and blonde hair started giving instructions. He was pretty gruff with us and his tone of voice was eerily serious. He told us there were really big boulders on the trail (can I leave now?), and insisted that we go smooth and accelerate slowly – no quick starts or revving motors. He repeatedly said, “Do not get ahead of me. Do not drive wherever you want. Where my tires go, your tires go. Where my tracks are, that’s where your tracks should be. Do not drive one inch out of my path.”

His demands made him seem a little uptight. I’m sure they were somewhat annoying to the thrill-seekers in our posse. When we made our procession to the trail, it all became very clear. This guy knew the terrain and the dangers on the trail ahead. He knew that if we went our own way instead of his way, we would definitely flip our ATV’s resulting in broken bones and life-threatening injuries. His rules and demands were annoying to the drivers, but through them, he was protecting us.

There are a ton of people walking the earth today who despise God’s rules in the Bible. They see God as uptight, no fun, arrogant, inflexible, uncaring, and angry. But God is good and his intentions for us are good. His motives are much purer than the ATV guy who was partially driven by liabilities and possible lawsuits against his company. God gives us rules to protect us because he loves us. For instance, when He tells us not to lie, he protects our reputation and protects others from the fall-out of those lies. When he tells us not to murder, he protects us from punishment, guilt, shame, and horrible regret; and he protects the precious lives of those around us. When he instructs us to forgive those who have hurt us, he protects our hearts from debilitating bitterness that can put us in a prison of hatred and negativity that threatens our ability to have healthy relationships with anyone.

I care about you so I want to ask you to think about something. Look at your life. Are your “tires” going where God’s “tires” go? Are your tracks following directly in his tracks? How are your actions helping or hindering others on the journey who are trying to keep their tires in the right place so they can reach their destination safely?