Following the Rules

I am a rule-follower.  I like knowing what’s expected.  Give me a set of guidelines to follow where I don’t have to think about what to do, and I’m pretty comfortable and content to act, all thoughts and decision-making left to the parameters outlined.  Usually rules are pretty easy to follow and I get along pretty well.

There are a lot of people who resist rules.  The mostly rebellious question every rule that comes along.  Sometimes people don’t follow rules because they feel they are silly, or that rules don’t apply to them.  I have trouble understanding why people feel this way.  We are all unique, but not so different.  Most rules apply.  I know that sometimes they don’t, and some rules can be stretched or broken, but it’s not in my nature to do so at first glance.  I have made a life out of adapting myself to following the rules of the road, marriage, common courtesy, the law.

On the few occasions where I have chosen not to follow the rules, I have suffered.  Usually I suffer from guilt; my conscience gnaws at me.  The knowledge that I did something against the grain blinks its warning light at me until I fall in line again.

I acknowledge that my general rule following can be dangerous in the world today.  Not all rules are for everyone’s good, and there are some situations in which we find ourselves in more trouble just for following a set of faulty, out of order, or even malicious rules.  I need to be careful about blindly following rules made by untrustworthy sources, or rules made to benefit only a certain few.  When we follow these guidelines we run the risk of inadvertently harming other people that the rules were designed to exclude.

The only rules I trust to follow blindly are God’s.  His rules always supersede any rules that the world has to offer.  His ways are not always the way the world works, but they have never failed me.  When I fail him, I know that I have overstepped, or stumbled over his will, choosing instead to follow my own.  Each instance of my crossing God’s line ends up with me facing the consequences of my own actions. 

I should remember that God’s rules are made only for my good, for my benefit.  They are appropriate not just for me, but for everyone – each one of us will do better when we follow God’s lead and look to him for guidance.  His ways, his rules, are designed for our ultimate perfection; they will never fail us.

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The law of the lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.  The statutes of the lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the lord are right, giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  The fear of the lord is pure, enduring forever.  The decrees of the lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.  By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  Psalm 19:7-11 (NIV)