Have you ever seen one of those “baby gates” that parents use to keep children from going into certain rooms? Perhaps you have a younger brother or sister and your parents use a gate for them. Do you know that baby gates are a great picture of God’s sovereignty?

Sovereignty is a big word you might hear at church a lot. It means that someone, like a king, has absolute control—no one is their boss or makes them do things. They can do whatever they want and they make all the rules. This can be a bad thing, if someone wicked is in control.  

Fortunately for us, God is really the only true sovereign, in control of everything. And the good news for us is that God is all good—he doesn’t make any mean, or selfish, or bad decisions. Now, how does this apply to the baby gate?

Imagine that you are home with your dad, watching your baby sister.  He decides to put a gate across the doorway to your sister’s room so she can play in a safe area.  She is too young to understand that certain things in the house are dangerous to play with—like a hot stove or knives!

Your sister can’t get out but is free to do whatever she wants in her room. She can play with dolls, she can climb on the bed; she can enjoy herself and do whatever she likes within the area her father has allowed. But, what if she decides to climb up on the dresser and tries to swing from the ceiling fan? What if she starts pulling the heads off her Barbie dolls so she can eat them? Dad can swoop in, perhaps putting her in timeout. 

She doesn’t have to do something wrong for Dad to step in. Perhaps he wants her to work with a puzzle and put the dolls away for a while. He can put the dolls in the closet, and take a puzzle out. She is no longer free to play with the dolls; now she is free to play with the puzzle. 

Some children do not mind the gate—they play happily with what is before them. Others choose to stand right at the doorway and cry, wanting out, not realizing that the gate is there to protect them. They choose to only see what is outside the gate, while turning their backs on what is given to them—a whole room full of toys!

As you grow older, the limits that God places in your life may not be as simple as a gate.  Through your parents, God sets certain boundaries for you—things you may do, places you may go, people you may see, things you may have.  You may not like these limits.  But, is your response to God’s sovereignty that of the toddler—angrily demanding your way?  Or is it that of a maturing child of God—content to trust that the One who places the limits is the One who loves you most?  Ask God to help you know Him and trust Him more fully, gates and all.