Written In Stone

Psalm 93:5 -- "Your statues stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord."

"Um, you can't do that."

As I heard these words for the umpteenth time in my hazardous attempt to play at a board game that my son and my niece's husband had designed, I sat back and sighed deeply. My head was starting to throb badly and my team-mate [my niece] leaned across the table to have words with her hubby pooh. At first I thought she was going to slap him - but was relieved to discover that she just wanted to scream at him in her attempt to hold back tightly suppressed tears.

Sounds crazy that World War III should start over something as silly as a board game, but we [the girl's team] had given it our all and really were THAT frustrated. It was difficult to play a game when the rules weren't written down and seemed to change with every move we tried to make. I kid you not, I was close to tears, myself.

No matter what Denise and I tried, it seemed to be illegal. Then the guys would make a move and we'd protest that we weren't told the action was allowed - only to be reminded that we'd not asked in the first place. The tables certainly seemed to be turned in the guys' favor - and they seemed to turn it that way whenever it suited them.

I finally stood up from the table and said: "Look, y'all get your act together. Write it down, step-by-step and define very clearly what the rules are. Tell me how to play properly and how to determine the goal of the game and THEN I'll come back and play it with you."

And that - was the end of that.

Ending the game may have saved my niece's marriage - I don't know for sure.

The thing is, it is actually comforting to know exactly where the lines are drawn and for what those lines stand. Knowing the boundaries keeps us safe.  Admittedly, there are times in life when the boundaries need to change and, let's face it, those times aren't always the easiest through which to adjust - but just knowing which way NOT to turn has a great impact on the journey we take.

Thankfully, God's rules NEVER change. His statues are written in solid stone - they stand firm. When we spend time with Him, we know - for sure - exactly for what He stands and what exact actions make Him happy.

There is great comfort in this knowledge. There is a lot to be said for steady, unwavering ground. I thank you, Lord - for the rock-solid firmness of your Word.