A Buffer Of Protection

A Buffer of Protection

O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

Psalm 71:17

During winter, winds howl outside my vehicle as I drive over the snow, and I try to imagine the cold ride inside an Amish buggy. It seems quaint . . . until I remember that Amish buggies have no heaters, let alone heated seats.

Yet the Amish know how to insulate themselves from the cold. First, they dress for the weather. Girls and women wear long stockings and boots. Wool coats and gloves are followed by blankets. Boys layer sweaters and sweatshirts over their handmade Amish shirts. The buggy itself has protection—curtains over the windows and a storm front (windshield) to block the chill. Hot-water bottles also provide heat. Amazingly, children look forward to these buggy rides. Love and togetherness warm them from inside as they’re pressed between siblings or held on a parent’s lap.

Just as Amish parents dress their children for long buggy rides, they also know to insulate their children’s hearts from the outside world. Amish children have little interaction with those outside their community. Their teachers are usually Amish, and children speak Pennsylvania Dutch in the home. They don’t learn English until they start school at age six.

Do we take time to insulate our lives? We all need to spend time in God’s Word and prayer. We also need to surround ourselves with like-minded believers and put a buffer between ourselves and the harsh winds of society’s influence, especially those that blow through the media and music. Our hearts need to be protected—no matter our age. We don’t want to block ourselves completely from the world, but we do need to heed the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice that says, This is not for you.

Heavenly Father, in my life there are things I strive for—connecting with You, reading Your Word, and setting my mind on heavenly things. Help me to be equally diligent about protecting my heart. Wrap Yourself around me as a buffer from the things of the world that threaten to assault me.