Stop?

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Published on Thursday, January 29, 2015

By Rev. Glenna Beauchamp

Rivers and Oak River United Churches

One of the intersections I cross every day has a stop sign. Except one day it didn’t. Maybe somebody skidded when they were turning and knocked it down, or maybe a plow took it out. Anyway, no stop sign. So, do you still stop when there’s no stop sign?

Yes, because you know it’s really still there, even if you can’t see it. Traffic coming the other way certainly assumes you will stop! 

God’s laws are like that stop sign. According to God’s prophet Jeremiah, (Jer. 31:33) God always meant His laws to give us the skill set we need to live as our Creator meant us to live. At first, we need these laws to be there, right in front of us, to keep reminding us how to live in ways that bring meaning, joy and peace into our own lives and the lives of those around us. But after awhile, we don’t think about those laws anymore. We don’t need them right there because they have been learned “by heart.” They are part of our DNA. Obeying God’s laws is not hard work or a burden anymore, but something that just feels right and natural. When we get to that point, we know God’s laws are where they belong — in our hearts where they continue to be a life-affirming gift from our Creator.