Keep Hands and Arms Inside the Vehicle

My brother-in-law got a huge laugh out of all of us last night when he put my five month old nephew, Trace, in his carrier and said, "Keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times."
Of course being that he's an infant strapped into a carrier, Trace has little choice to do otherwise.
But the thought got me to thinking. As you may have guessed from my blog's title, I LOVE roller coasters. The faster the better. The only thing I hate is the five minute speech you get every time you ride one. You know the one that basically tells you, "Have some common sense!"
Of course in order for them to have to give this reminder everytime, probably means that at some point, someone has tried to put their arms or legs out of the vehicle, or actually tried to stand up while the ride was in motion.
It's very easy for me to see the stupidity of standing on a roller coaster. But how many times in life do I totally ignore God's rules? How many times do I disobey the laws He has set down just to protect me?
I can't begin to count the times. See, its easy to understand physical danger. We learn at an early age not to touch hot things because we'll get burnt. We learn to stay away from the mean dog that bites.
But spiritual danger is something we often forget completely about. We don't just touch the hot things, we live in the fire. Then suddenly one day we wonder what happened. And if we look back, it usually started with one small sin. Maybe just a little white lie. Maybe just one Sunday that we skipped church.
Obedience is important to God. Its important to Him because He wants whats best for us.
I Samuel 15:22 says, "to obey is better than sacrifice."
He'd rather have you obey than for you to give all that you own to the church.
So check your life today. See if there are little things between you and God. If there are, get rid of them. Because little things become big things in time.
Fortunately we have a God of second chances! (And third, and fourth, and hundredth!)