Hopping Barriers

By Tim Keller, Lead Pastor

There is a phenomenon sweeping across our nation at present that is causing many to shake their heads in wonder even as it causes others to bow their heads in grief. It’s happening at Grand Canyon, in Oregon, Arkansas, Arizona, California, New York and literally around the world.

People are dying while attempting to take selfies in dangerous locations.

Three young people were killed while taking a selfie standing next to a railroad track. Their final posted picture contained the caption, “Standing right by a train. Aha! This is awesome!” The oncoming train struck and killed them all instantly.

A college student went beyond a clearly marked barrier in order to take a picture at a steep cliff in Oregon. She slipped and fell 100 feet to her death.

In many cases the tragedies are multiplied by the fact that there were clear signs indicating the danger that would be in place if the individual went past the defined boundaries. In the words of one news reporter, “hopping barriers” has become a cultural norm. Instead of seeing them as indications of a loving and caring authority, young people (the average of age of a selfie fatality is 23 years) are viewing them as restrictive and ignoring them.

It should come as no surprise that because of His loving manner, God has instituted a series of boundaries for those He created. He delivered signs with large block letters communicating that to do certain things and go certain places will result in significant, and sometimes eternal, harm.

Yet far too many citizens have “hopped” God’s boundaries and essentially expressed that they know better than their Creator what is good and what is not. Humanity has historically rejected God’s laws as silly or far too limiting. The results have been cataclysmic to say the least.

The value on life that God initiated from the beginning has been ignored and today hardly a day goes by without a report on someone treating human life cheaply. Whether a massacre with bullets in a classroom or the local abortion clinic, hopping God’s boundaries on the value of life has resulted in great harm and great pain in our society.

If God had not been so meticulous about labeling His limits with clearly delineated words – THOU SHALT NOT – we might have some form of excuse. The problem, however, lies not with the Sign Maker, but with those who casually step beyond the boundary and determine that they will have their way.

Ravi Zacharias said many years ago, “The song they will play in hell will be, I Did it My Way.” If we want to end the destruction as a nation, the first place to examine may just be what limits God has placed on us for our own good.