Deuteronomy 11:26-28

I have a friend whose daughter refused to go into their backyard. She used to go back there to pick flowers or play with the dog. But suddenly and without explanation she just refused to venture out the back door. Finally my friend came out and asked her daughter why she was avoiding the backyard. Her young daughter blushed and lowered her head. She was afraid she would get zapped if she stepped in the wrong place. After all, the dogs were getting shocked when they were out there playing. She didn't want that to happen to her. My friend's daughter misunderstood the purpose and function of an invisible dog fence.

I can't imagine what she was thinking about her parents. What kind of cruel people were they, putting electrical land mines in the backyard, hurting the dogs and if she wasn't careful, zapping her too. My friend's family adored their dogs and put the fence up to keep them from running out into the road or getting lost. They acted responsibly and with great love and forethought. Their daughter, on the other hand, could have easily viewed them as cruel and capricious.

So it is with God's heart and the guidelines He sets forth for His children. They aren't intended to "zap" us. They are intended to protect and bless us. God doesn't force us to stay in the moral backyard He has lovingly provided. We choose whether we stay in a place of blessing, or risk being lost or stolen.