When our daughter was young, we taught her something that has stayed with me. 

Initially we used it to train her why she should follow our guidance.

It goes something like this: 

Here is a circle, and here is you, my child, standing within.  I am standing with you.  When you are in the circle with me, I can protect you.  But if you venture out of it, you are at risk. 

Because that’s where the dangers lie. 

The key to staying safely inside this protective circle?  It’s in the listening and obeying. 

This concept made perfect sense to our young daughter, and we referred to it often as a tool to help her make the right choices.

As I have walked through my life’s journey, I’ve come to recognize that the safety of the protective circle never ends.  That its boundaries extend for every grownup soul. 

The difference is that now we can choose whether or not to remain within.

And there has been one more critical change. 

The father within the grownup circle is now God himself – our provider, our protector, and our guide.

And he’s the very best of fathers too.  Psalm 103 tells us why:

• He is compassionate and merciful.
• He is slow to get angry.
• He does not constantly accuse us.
• He does not punish us for all our sins.
• He does not deal harshly with us when we deserve it. 
• And he is filled with unfailing love for us. 

Who wouldn’t want a father like that? 

As adults, we get to choose.  We can remain in the circle, or we can wander as far outside it as we like. 

But beware.  Because the truth is, we live in a world full of spiritual dangers.

The scripture is clear that Satan is on the prowl, wreaking havoc wherever he can (1 Peter 5:8):

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

He is after me, and he is after you.  And when we step outside the circle, we are 100%, completely at his mercy. 

Think about that.

The enemy’s one goal is to knock us down, and if possible, cause us to deny the ONE that can bring us hope and an eternal future. 

One way he does this is by offering us freedoms.  Freedom from God’s rules, freedom to chase our fleshly desires, freedom to set our own boundaries.

He fills our heads with twisted tales:  Don’t read that old, outdated Bible, he says.  It doesn’t apply to you.  Don’t limit yourself with God’s “rules”.  Life outside the circle is way better.  Come and see.

A convincing argument, if you’re not careful. 

At first glance, it could seem that Christianity is steeped with rules.  Do this, don’t do that. 

It could seem that real joy is found in pursuing freedom from all of that.

Many have bought into this.

Satan loves to confuse us with promises of freedom, only to use those very freedoms to enslave us.  He tells us that our best life is to live for ourselves, when Jesus wants to free us from ourselves. 

Talk to anyone in recovery, and they will tell you story after story of “freedom”.  How they pursued life hard, how they followed the Freedom Road to the end, only to find devastation waiting there. 

It’s a lie.  Don’t fall for it.

The truth is, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself.  He knows your future.  He knows your desires.  And he knows the very number of hairs on your head. 

God GIVES freedoms.  Freedom to live in joy instead of despair.  Freedom to know peace instead of chaos. 

And his “rules” are far more freeing that this world’s “freedoms”. 

Sometimes it takes a minute outside the circle to realize that.

If you find yourself in a constant struggle to live within the circle’s boundaries, you may need to die to your flesh.  To come to the realization that there are lies being whispered to you, and you have possibly bought into them. 

But there are actions you can take that when carefully applied, make the circle a much more comfortable place to be. 

It’s in the listening and obeying. 

In embracing the guidelines given in Scripture.  In staying close to the Father.  And in trusting the boundaries he sets for us. 

This is best accomplished with Bible in hand, honest dialogue with the Father himself, and an open, humble heart. 

As for me, have I always stayed safely inside his protective circle?  No. I’ve ventured out often, and likely, so have you. 

But I have learned to be more careful when I approach the circle’s edge.

I’ve learned to recognize the boundaries the Father sets for me, and to respect them.  To know that he is well aware of what awaits me on the other side during seasons when I choose to venture out.

I’ve learned that he waits for me to return when I’ve left his protective care.

That’s why he’s the very best of fathers. 

And why I will return to the circle again and again.