In his book Raising a Princess, John Croyle explains what he tells every child who comes to live at Big Oak Ranch. An All-American football player at Alabama, Croyle turned down a contract to play professional football in 1974 to start this facility for troubled children. He and his wife have shaped the lives—and souls—of thousands of young people.
He shares four important things with every child upon arrival:
1. I love you.
2. I’ll never lie to you.
3. I’ll stick with you until you’re grown.
4. There are rules; don’t break them.
Writing about that last point, Croyle describes an experiment that some psychologists once conducted. The psychologists directed teachers take their classes to a nearby park to play. One group went to a playground that was fenced in while the other group went to a playground that had no fence. The children on the playground that had no fence tended to huddle around their teacher for security. The group that played in the fenced-in playground roamed all over the area and had a great time.
Many times we may resist God’s truth and wish we did not have His laws. But when you get right down to it, God’s laws are the fences on the playgrounds of our lives. They keep us safe and create more freedom than we could ever imagine. They are fully trustworthy!