Picket Fences

If the word of God is a seed, then religion would have to be its picket fence.  We plant the seed. We water it. We pray for the sun to shine down upon it. But is this enough?  Surely some unruly dog might come over and trample all over it, or worse dig it up entirely!  No, this seed needs to be protected so we decide to build a fence around it. Perhaps we go to the hardware store and look at a variety of options or maybe we just go with what our neighbors are using so they match or perhaps we choose the style our parents used because it's familiar.  Either way before we know it we are gathering supplies and rolling up our sleeves to put in a hards day work constructing the fence that will protect our seed.   Soon we have a nice sturdy fence and we can again turn our attention to the seed... for awhile.

At some point our attention is returned to the fence. Perhaps a neighbor on an afternoon stroll made some passing by comment about how critters could still squeeze through the gaps between the slats.  Or maybe while at lunch with friends everyone seemed to be making a big deal about how important white paint on the fence was to really show off the garden's colors.  And then there we are once again, neglecting the seed to tend to the fence.  We don't have time to water and weed because we are too busy painting and constructing.  Perhaps once or twice we even curse God when it rains because now our white fence is going to be splattered with mud for heaven's sake!

On reflection I am amazed how much time I spent obsessing over fences.  Constantly critiquing not only my own fence but just about every fence around.   If I saw a photo of a beautiful flower my fist thought would be, "I wonder what type of fence they used?"  As if it was the fence that created and nurished the flower!  The truth is there are really some spectacular looking fences out there, and perhaps they actually do house some exquisite flowers, but somehow the majority of us have fooled ourselves into thinking that that quality of the fence determines the quality of the flower. 

Fences aren't bad, they can serve a valuable purpose in society and in our own lives. There are even those select few of us who manage to maintain a nearly perfect white picket fence and still give their seed all the care and nurishment it needs, but for most of us I think it is a constant struggle to balance the needs of the seed with the upkeep and appearance of the fence.  Personally, I'd rather see a little more overflowing gardens and a little less white picket fences.