Rules! Rules! Rules! We have a love/hate relationship with them. They bring order to chaos…stability from unpredictability…soundness to erratic changes. However, rules can frustrate, overwhelm and discourage us because we view them as concrete, never-bending or always rigid. At times we resist them with a passion while at other times we embrace them with vitality.

How often has this conversation been played by a parent to their child?

Parent: “I told you not to do that, it’s a rule in our house!”

Child: “Why?”

Parent: “Because I said so.”

Maybe the parent doesn’t really know, but their parent had the same conversation with them!

Often when we attempt to lay down those concrete rules, they are met with remarkable resistance. Bruce Larson tells the story that one day while shopping at …