Everyday life is like driving up this mountain highway. Each new experience is like a bend in the road. You don’t know what might happen next. Sometimes that is exciting, but it also can be scary. Just like in driving, you can get into big trouble if you make the wrong turn. Instead of enjoying a useful, happy life you can end up destroying yourself and others.

What helps keep cars safe on this winding road? The guardrails! They are put there to protect drivers and keep them on track. In the same way God has designed restrictions and safety barriers to protect you from making a dangerous turn in your life. How many can you think of?

Did you remember your parents? Maybe you don’t like to be told what to do and what not to do. But your parents are given the job to watch over you. They make rules for machines that you can’t use or places you can’t go, because they know the trouble you can get into. You are expected to behave and do your part in the family. These things help you to have a safe and happy home. Besides home rules, there are teachers, officers, and government officials that decide what you should or shouldn’t do. Sometimes the rules might seem fair, and sometimes not. As a child, your job isn’t to figure them out, but to follow them.

What happens when you don’t pay attention and just “do your own thing”? Slam! You find yourself bouncing off the guardrails and getting a fender bender (otherwise known as “suffering the consequences of disobedience”). You might not like the jolt. But if you could only see where you were headed, you would be thankful. The other side is much worse.

But sometimes the guardrails are broken down or damaged. Maybe your parents don’t care about living right, or they aren’t around to watch over you. Then there is nothing to stop you from flying off the cliff and getting into really deep trouble. That is what is happening to many families now. Every day hundreds of people are messing up their lives because they don’t have guardrails to protect them.

How can we live safely in this world full of trouble and dangers? Whom can we trust to protect us?

God also has laws and standards. He created us and the world we live in, so He knows best how to keep us happy and safe. Many people think the Bible is a hard book of rules. They try to live by their own ideas and laugh about God’s guardrails. “Why should I have to tell the truth? What is so bad about getting my own way?” They don’t realize what they are talking about until it is too late. There are others who have learned to trust God’s way. They know He cares about them like a watchful parent. “God knows best and He loves me,” they say. “Even if I don’t get what I want, when I want it.” They know God’s standards are right and will keep them safe.

Are there broken guardrails in your life? Are you unsure of what is right or wrong? God wants to be your safety. He is waiting for you to ask for help. And let me tell you, He can be depended on no matter what! He will give you something solid to lean on when life is twisting and turning. He never fails or breaks down. Life is too dangerous to try on your own. Will you put your trust in God’s way?