Sand Fence

 

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.

–Romans 16:17-18

 

Sand fences have been enormously helpful in dividing land and building up dunes. The rickety weathered pickets held together with thin wire comes in large rolls to be stretched out and stuck in the sand. Sand fences don’t look particularly sturdy, but do a wonderful job nonetheless. I’ve captured many photographs of these fences at the beach. Not only are the fences effective, but they add texture to the scenery and provide many perches for birds. When storms come and cause the sea to rise, often the fences lose their footing and get washed out, littering the beach with broken pickets. Once gathered, these scraps of weathered wood make nice kindling to start a fire on chilly winter days.

 

Fences and boundaries surround us, whether real or imagined. It is important to have them for needed protection, whether we are inside or outside the fence. It can be comforting at times being inside the fence, corralled with everyone else in thought and deed. But God teaches that some situations and even some people are not good for us. Remember being told as a child, “don’t follow the crowd”? Our parents meant for us not to succumb to peer pressure. We can get caught up in taking sides on issues, causing great and long lasting divisions and strife. There is never a good time to harbor and nurture these emotional rifts. Stepping away from conflict has great merit.  It is up to God to help us discern what side of the fence to be on when we are given a choice. He desires for us to seek Him in prayerful guidance.