Child-Proofing

When my child was a toddler, I went around my home child-proofing against every potential danger. I plugged up every unused electric outlet. I crawled around on my hands and knees looking for small objects that could be choking hazards. I had child-proof latches on all the lower cabinets. I moved all the household cleaners to the top cabinets. I routinely removed the knobs from the stove. I did all this to prevent my child from hurting himself because of his curiosity or carelessness.

We lived in a multi-level duplex at that time, and there were 3 sets of stairs. I bought baby gates to put on the top and bottom of each step, but realized that it would be impractical to use them on a regular basis. So I taught my child to crawl up and down the steps even before he was walking. I’d just crawl up and down the steps with him as part of our daily playtime. He learned a healthy fear of stairs. Even after he learned to walk, he was always careful around stairs, whether it was at our house or anywhere else.

I thought of all this when I read the following verses:
 
“He has removed our sins as far from us
As the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
Tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For He knows how weak we are;” (Ps. 103:12-14 NLT)

Sin is anything that separates us from God. Our compassionate Father routinely removes many dangerous temptations from our daily lives. Like any good parent, He child-proofs our environment so that we don’t self-destruct due to our curiosity or carelessness. However, God doesn’t block every hazard. He teaches us to have a healthy fear of some things. He shows us how to navigate these troublesome situations safely and cautiously.