Guardrails

At the hospital where I work the IV infusion pumps have a built- in safety mechanism when administering certain drugs, that mechanism is called a guardrail. The guardrail is the standard concentration and dose according to the manufacturer of the drug. If one attempts to program the pump with settings outside of the manufacturer’s recommended standard, a warning appears reminding you that you are deviating from the standard. This warning, guardrail, is there to prevent errors and to allow the one programming the pump time to reconsider before they proceed. The guardrail warns but it doesn’t stop. If you choose to you can override the guardrail. 

Our heavenly Father also provides guardrails for us, His children. His word, the Bible provides the standard for living a Godly, joy filled life according to our “manufacturer”, our Creator, God. He has given us the Holy Spirit who issues a warning each time we consider stepping outside of that which our Creator has determined is best for our lives and future. But just as with the infusion pump, we can choose to ignore the guardrail and override the Spirit’s warning. God loves and wants what is best for us, but He created us with a free will and we have the right and the power to choose His way or our own way. But I can tell you from personal experience, overriding His guardrails is NEVER the right nor the best choice. So, before you take that step that you know is outside of His word and His will, heed the warning and turn around at the guardrail.