Another Brick In The Wall

There's lots of talk about walls these days. "Build the wall!" "Tear down the wall!" "Make the wall higher!" Even as we build, there are those wanting to tear down.

A walls sole purpose is to separate things. Keep the bad guys out. Keep your loved ones safe. Protection, confinement, separation.

We all have walls in our lives. Some we have built ourselves. Others are built . . . by others. But really WE do all the wall building. Others just cause us to put them up.

We build walls to protect our hearts. We build walls to protect our kids. Even God had us build walls around His holy city - Jerusalem. Walls work. But sometimes there are unintended consequences.

Let's say we get burned too many times in relationships so we start putting up walls. We think our walls might keep us safe. But those very same protective walls also keep others out. Perhaps the very ones we were meant to love.

Remember the old westerns where the people inside the fort had built a wall around themselves? When the cavalry came to save the day, they too were locked outside unless someone opened the gate.

That's the key about walls. They must have a gate in them. Locking ourselves inside an impenetrable barrier doesn't do anyone any good. But having a gate! By having a gate in our wall we can choose to allow certain people in. And we ourselves have a means of escape, should we ever need it.

When we are surrounded by distrust and hurtfulness in our lives we we begin to put up walls. It's instinctive. But when Jesus comes to the rescue, a gate is a very important thing to have. Jesus IS that gate in your wall.

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." - John 10:9

If you are struggling right now, and you find yourself building those walls that surround you higher and higher, keep an eye out for the cavalry. His name is Jesus. Let Him into your safe zone and together you can begin to remove those barriers or building them up higher as needed. The key is to do it with God's help.

“You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work." - Nehemiah 2:17-18

Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd