“How do we move that?”
“Is it okay to drive heavy vehicles across septic lines?”
“We can’t buy that tree – the root ball is too big to carry it across the yard.”
“Will this fit in a wheelbarrow?”
There are many aspects to consider when one is moving things in the garden. Maybe it’s just me — but it seems like things get heavier every year.
It is certainly wise to consider first before moving things. Your local utility companies will tell you, “Call before you dig.” They don’t even want you to move dirt without exercising caution!
Then there are safety rules about moving heavy objects. When we were building the fire pit, we went to construction sites where the bedrock was being blasted apart.
This saved us hundreds of dollars, but it meant a lot of heavy lifting by my Yard Boy. I must have sounded like a recorded announcement every time my sweetheart bent down to pick up some particularly nice rocks that I knew I couldn’t handle.
“Lift with your legs, not your back.”
“Watch your fingers!”
“Don’t get that one, it’s too heavy.”
This last one he continually ignored, which resulted in some very nice larger stones being incorporated into the pavement surrounding the pit. I’ve named one of them “Illinois” and another “Connecticut.” It turned out great, and now the Yard Boy has a place to burn all that garden debris that doesn’t get composted. It’s only okay because he didn’t hurt his back, though. No sense saving money on rocks to be spent at the chiropractor!
We should take care to know what (or who) is being moved, and why.
“Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21, NASB).
Do people today say they are moved by God? Yes, all the time! Diverse people claim that, but since they contradict one another, it is obvious that they cannot all be right. There was a test given (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) for those who claimed to be speaking for God, but if we were to apply that today, we would be having a different discussion about moving stones.
But we’re not here to cast stones, either literally nor figuratively. We are, however, told to relay God’s warnings.
Many of today’s teachers and followers who claim Christianity explain their actions by claiming they were “led by the Spirit.” But God is not the author of confusion. His revealed will is contained within the pages of the Bible, anything beyond that presumes a lot.
God has given us his boundaries, and that’s another thing he has told us not to move.
People move those boundaries because they don’t like them where they are. As our society changes, there is a strong push for changing the boundaries that are outlined in the Bible.
We were not happy when our new neighbor broke down our fence and kept riding his ATV through our yard until it killed the grass.
God’s reaction to our moving his boundaries at our own whims would be much more emphatic!
“Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28).
Moving fences around to gain access to a neighbor’s property is not nearly as dangerous as moving the boundaries that God sets for us, spiritually. When he says a certain action or lifestyle choice is off-limits, who are we to change those rules?
In the Bible, the Spirit’s moving is specific. So are the warnings about NOT moving.
My husband and our neighbor may have ignored my warnings, but we must not ignore God’s.