I live in a gated community. I’m not really sure what’s so great about that, because everyone and their dog has the code and even when people don’t have the code, they just wait until someone opens the gate and then follow them right in.

I assume that the wall, fence, and gate are meant to keep our little community safe from the outside world. This is a nice idea, but when I go running, I find that it has a very different effect. Whenever I come to the gate that should allow me to walk out of the community, it won’t open. I enter the code and turn the knob, but it just doesn’t work. After trying it several times, saying a muffled curse word (just the ones in the Bible), and then kicking it, I usually end up climbing the fence to get out.

So…think about the walls, fences, and gates that you have put up in your life. Are they keeping you safe by shutting out the dangers of the outside world, or are they really just trapping you in?

Interpret however you want.