Pig Headed or Wise, Which Do You Choose to Be?

My father-in-law was a farmer at heart. He always planted a big garden and raised enough meat for the family table. One particular pig he owned was interesting. It appears the pig had been bitten several times by the electric fence that surrounded him. He got to the point where he would get back from the fence, paw the ground, squeal loudly, and charge. He knew he was going to be shocked but his desire to escape became greater than his fear of the pain. He would run full speed into the fence squealing all the way. When he was on the other side he would usually head to the neighbors yard to destroy the lawn.

The electric fence was not there to torture the pig. It was there to provide a place of safety, where he would have access to all he needed and would be free from the dangers of traffic and the neighbor’s gun. Apparently, the pig was not smart enough to realize this. He saw the fence an infringement on his desire to roam. He chose the inevitable pain from wandering over the comfort of remaining within the boundaries set by his owner.

Many people are like this pig. I guess you could say they are pig headed. While they are aware of the boundaries God has placed on their lives, they do not seem to understand God’s reasons for placing them there .They see them as hindrances to the happiness they seek. They believe they drain all the fun out of life. Of course, this thinking is completely wrong. God’s boundaries are not to deny us the joys of living but to protect us from the accesses within our hearts. So much of the pain people suffer is directly the result of their own or someone else’s refusal to live within his boundaries.

What we do not seem to understand is that there is no safer place than within the boundaries God has given. To live outside them, makes us vulnerable to the pain the world has to offer. To live within them gives us a place of security and comfort in good times and in bad. These truths leave each one of us with a choice. We can choose to be pig headed or we can make the more reasonable choice of living within the boundaries God has given us. One makes us vulnerable to all kinds of dangers and the other gives us the cover of God’s provision. Which will you choose?