The Rules We Break

Any one who knows me knows that I love the beach. Anytime I get to choose where we go that's the place I choose. I love the sand and the waves and the smells ( well most of the time the smells) and everything else. I love it when it storms and when it is sunny and when it's in between. Last summer my husband took me to the beach for our anniversary. Even when we try to behave we still break the rules. We had a lovely time. I lit a candle and sat in the Jacuzzi tub and relaxed. We stood on the balcony and watched the waves come in and out. We had a blast watching the sea gulls and feeding them. The next day as we were getting ready to go I read a piece of paper that was on the counter in the kitchenette. Among other things it said that we were not allowed to burn candles in the room or to feed sea gulls on the balcony. Oh well! If you didn't know it was a rule is it OK to break it? That made me think about my Christian life. When we first got saved I didn't understand much about the RULES we were supposed to live by. I had never heard of not wearing pants or not wearing a white shirt without an under shirt. I often felt uncomfortable and bad because I didn't understand. Many people went out of their way to make me feel even worse. Now I understand that a true Christian doesn't judge someone by what they wear or even how they look or act. A true Christian actually tries not to judge any one. I have learned it is better to build people up than to pull them down. Don't get me wrong. I'm not perfect but I do think that I am much, much better than I was when I was first saved and I keep growing every day. Thank-you Jesus for helping me to be all that I can be.