Fences (Lisa)

Walking along the trail with a prayer in my heart, I opened my eyes to God, and there He was. A towering Tulip Poplar. A living, breathing, gigantic specimen, fallen, slicing through a fence. I pictured Jesus, the Living Tree, laying down His life for our sake. What is His message today, here in the woods, lying across this broken fence? Is it Jesus standing tall, towering over me in judgement that stands between me and His Great Love, or is it me building fences that keeps us apart.

I pondered fences, post diggers and all that goes into erecting them. They really are quite a bit of hard work; mapping them out, removing long standing rock, digging deep holes, all before even starting the tedious work of building barriers. Much effort goes into making them but God’s perfect love can tear them down in one fell swoop. I thought, What have I worked hard at, dug in deep about that has kept me from God?

There are times when I build fences between me and myself. When I engage in an internal struggle and fail to love myself. Sometimes I denigrate who I am in my own mind, telling myself I am less, unworthy of His love, but this is not some admirable practice in humility, it is denying God’s love that lives inside of me. How can I love others freely when I do not love myself? Those fences I built between me and myself, they are shaky and need to come down.

At other times I build barriers between myself and my family, friends and neighbors. How many times have I failed to love those I propose to love by laying a judgement of my own, when God simply asks me to love? At times, I have used words and actions that formed fences instead of gateways. I try to corral what? fix what? and in the end, all my righteous good intentions only create one more fence that God didn’t ask for.

Jesus came to teach us about the dangers of building walls and fences. He lay down and died to tear them down, wherever they stood. I can see Him reaching over the fence for us right now.

You’ve got 5 days left on earth. What fence post topic have you dug in deep about? Between you and you? You and your family? You and your neighbor who thinks differently than you? What would Jesus make of your fences?

Think of Ukraine. It’s your last 5 minutes on earth. Are your fences that important now? Are any of them shaky? Are you sure? I’m going to ponder that when I see them now, in the woods and fields, and in my heart.