Freedom Inside the Fence
During the recent quarantine, some people were heard singing the old cowboy song, “Don’t Fence Me In.” In the song, the cowboy longs for the open spaces where he can lie under the starry sky and feel the “evening breeze and listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees” with no fences or other restrictions. As I have reminded in earlier columns, range wars were often fought in the early west between cattlemen and settlers because the farmers fenced in what had previously been open land. We all have, perhaps, struggled against barriers placed on our “open spaces.” We like to feel free to roam wherever we want and to do whatever we wish. That, we think, is freedom. And, so it is. But there is also freedom inside the fences.
When our daughter was home with us, her cat Shiloh would sit at the window and look out at the birds, the squirrels, and deer. She saw them run and chase each other, but their main activity was searching for food – and constantly watching for danger. Although Shiloh could not join the other animals on the outside, neither did she have to be constantly watchful of the neighborhood dog or the hawk that was often seen hovering overhead. All she needed was provided. Her food and water were served; she had exercise opportunities with stairs to climb and rooms to explore. Before Shiloh, we had Blackie, a cat that escaped to the outside but, in her freedom, she survived only a few days. So, though it may appear that Shiloh was being cheated or restricted, we knew what was best for her and provided for her growth and comfort. Studies show that household cats live longer and healthier lives than those on the outside.
Studies have also shown that Christians, bon-again believers, are happier and healthier than those who prefer “the wide-open spaces.” What others may regard as fences or restrictions in lives of believers are really provisions and protection of a heavenly Father. Satan is well- aware of our “fences” because he had to get permission from God Himself to cross the hedge around Job, remember? In Job 1:10, he asked God, “Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side?” You see, nothing could harm Job without God’s permission because there was a “fence” around him. David, the shepherd boy who became king, knew of this protection. In Psalm 130:5 (KJV), he said, “You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” That is a strong fence! That is freedom – from want, worry, and fear. “Such knowledge” – as David said – “is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (139:6 NLT).