New World, New Rules

Molly, the puppy, hates rules. She makes me  correct her three times before she prances away pretending to get my message.  She just waits until my attention is elsewhere and tries again.

She is smart, perceptive and quick.  She caught me when I thought it was a good idea to break my own rule.  I always have the puppies on tie-outs because I know there are spaces in our fence big enough for puppies to escape.  The puppies are black, invisible at night, and they only come to me when they want.

But yesterday was a beautiful fall day and they'd been in the crates a bit longer so I called a "Zoom."  A zoom is when the puppies are off leash and chase each other around and around the yard.  It's something like watching NASCAR.  I stand out and watch for their protection and my enjoyment.

I blinked and then saw Molly in the neighbor's yard!  She had found the whole created years ago by our famous escape artist, Jessie, who believed her yard extended to Nebraska and fences were a mere suggestion.  She was 150 pounds of lovable Lab that could shape-shift herself under the chain link.

Molly found Jessie's favorite "door".  The neighbors had put up boards on their side.  We had a rock to block our side but  time had eroded their effectiveness and that little puppy slipped through in a nanosecond!

The happy ending to the story is that even at my age I can still climb over a chain link fence and not get stuck or hurt!  At first I wanted help from a neighbor but at the top of the fence I hoped no one was watching from their window and laughing.  I also found a good use for my old license plate.  The neighbors probably are curious as to why it is now lashed to my fence.

I entitled the three verses, twelve through fourteen, in Deuteronomy chapter four, "A New World means New Rules."  Moses reminds the Israelites of the time when the Ten Commandments were delivered.  Only God's voice came from the fire with the Commandments.  Then they were written on two stone tablets and Moses gave the laws and decrees the Israelites were to live by in the Promised Land.

"What did you do on your first  day of kindergarten?" I asked Adam years ago.  He explained, matter-of-factly, "First the teacher explained the rules.  Then we went to the gym and the principal explained the rules to the whole school.  Then we had recess and the playground supervisor explained the rules."  He didn't seem worried that the common word in all of those experiences was "rules."  In my mind's journal, I gave the word for the first day of kindergarten: "rules."

Yet Adam  accepted it as the standard.  As a child, a new boundary, a new world meant new rules.  He probably took comfort, the first day, to know the rules and boundaries for the new experience.

God was preparing His group of people, that could have numbered in the millions, to live in a new world.  They were going to live in cities and towns on a permanent basis after wandering for years.  There would be strange people who didn't follow God living on their borders with the potential of harm, both physical and spiritual. Those commandments, decrees and laws were for order, protection and better quality of life.

I need to remember that living within God's rules will give my life order, safety and a better life.  I hope soon Molly believes the same!