The Most Dangerous Place To Be

God uses a lot of different ways to teach me the same lessons over and over again.  He made me, so He knows how hard-headed and stubborn I can be at times. He has to show me the bus, put out a crossing guard, make me sit through a class about pedestrian safety, and put me with people who have been hit by a bus and who are trying to keep other people out of the crosswalk, and maybe...just maybe...I might not step out in front of a moving bus.  

He kicked this notion into high gear when he blessed me with a child.  The day that Abby came into my life, God gave me the greatest illustration of His love and relationship with us that I have personally ever known.  I now know what it means to truly be willing to lay your life down for another, and I know how upsetting it must be for God when other people or things come between our desire for Him and His love for us.  

If you've ever watched Animal Planet or The Discovery Channel, you know that it's never a good idea to find yourself between a mother and her young.  It's the same way with God.  If you need an illustration, just read the story about Jesus' reaction to the moneychangers in the temple.  In Max Lucado's book And the Angel's Were Silent, he does an entire chapter on this story, pointing out that Jesus was not mad because people were making money, or that there was money in the temple.  Jesus was mad because the moneychangers and those selling sacrifices were getting in between God and the people that had come to worship Him.  Imagine how it must have felt for those who could not afford the exorbitant amount of money that was being charged for a sacrifice.  They must have felt that even all they had was not good enough for God, creating a chasm of shame between them and God.  It's never a good idea to get between God and His people.  

Just the thought of someone keeping Abby from me, or making her feel like I might not want to be with her raises my blood pressure, and I can feel the adrenaline start to pump.  It's just not a good idea if you want to walk on two legs for the remainder of your time on this earth.  

Anytime I am involved in a worship service, whether serving or just participating, I always ask God to open my eyes to anything that I might do that would keep another person from drawing closer to Him.  I don't EVER want to be that person.