My family recently adopted a golden retriever puppy. We named her Casey, after the Mudville Nine’s cleanup hitter. She’s adorable.

If she wasn’t so darn cute we’d have likely returned her by now.

Each time I look at my hands and see all the cuts and scratches from her razor-sharp baby teeth, I reconsider. As I’m writing this, she’s laying on our sofa next to me, trying to ignore me so she can sleep. I’m just glad she’s finally keeping her teeth to herself.

She’s a typical puppy. Wants to do what she wants to do, regardless of the rules. Hence her sleeping on the sofa rather than the floor.That’s also why she put a hole in my favorite sweatshirt tonight even though I told her to stop biting it.I was mad, but I couldn’t really yell at her. It wasn’t her fault. I keep telling myself she’s just a puppy.

As she gets older, though, she’ll learn the rules. She’ll realize she can’t bite my clothes or my hands. She’ll know she can only crash on the couch when I allow her. And, hopefully, she’ll become the epitome of man’s best friend.

No longer will she wake us in the middle of the night or force us to clean up her accidents. Hopefully she won’t jump up on our houseguests or bark at strangers. Her maturity will benefit everyone in her life.

I’ll certainly appreciate it when she understands and obeys the rules. Not only will it minimize my frustration, but it’ll make life easier for my family and our friends.

Most importantly, however, It’ll make her life better.

I’ll remove the baby gates that limit access to unsafe rooms in our house.I’ll stop yelling at her—and yes, I do occasionally raise my voice. She’ll get to go on longer walks. I’ll let her on the sofa more often. And we’ll take her hiking and—if she’s really good—on vacation with us.

You see, our rules are both for her benefit, and for the benefit of the people in her life. Without them, someone or something is likely to get hurt. But the better she follows them, the more privileges she’ll get.In other words, following the rules will give her more freedom to live the life she wants to live—the life she was made for. 

Have you ever abandoned the rules by which you should live? The rules that your Creator established? I know I have.

A Quick Glance At The 10 Commandments

A quick glance at the Ten Commandments might jog your memory.

Have you skipped Sunday Mass because it was easier to sleep in?

Have you lied to your parents—or maybe to your spouse—because doing so was easier than telling them the hard truth?

Have you longed to have a car, house, or job as nice as your friend?

Have you ever lusted after anyone other than your spouse?

I’ve done all of the above—and much worse. How about you?

And how has that rebellion against God’s rules impacted your life?

I can tell you how it’s impacted mine.

Because I loved sinning more than God, I’ve driven wedges between me and the people I love the most. I’ve wasted countless hours worrying that I wasn’t good enough.I’ve cried myself to sleep knowing that I was living a life without purpose.I’ve hated myself.All because I rebelled against the rules God put in place.

Why God Created Rules

God created rules to give us true freedom. But, as my experience attests, we can’t follow His rules on our own.Apart from God, we’re slaves to sin. We can’t get free on our own. God knows I’ve tried.But God knows our limitations, too. He created us, after all.

“creation was made subject to futility…in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21)

It’s futile when we try to overcome sin on our own. We can’t do it. Only God can.Thankfully, He had a plan. And He gave up His only Son to execute that plan.

“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Jesus, in His death and resurrection, not only defeated sin. He destroyed the chains that bind us to that sin!

Unlike Jacob Marley, who was bound to carry the chains of his sins for eternity, we can be free! Jesus not only saves us from death. He saves us from sin in this world. Not only through His forgiveness, but also through His power.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

“In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)

As Jesus Loves Me, the old children’s song, so rightly tells us:

Little ones to Him belong; 

They are weak, but he is strong.

We’re all God’s children. And we’re all too weak to follow His rules within the context of our world of sin. But Jesus is strong. Strong enough to defeat death and break sin’s stranglehold.

So trust Him. Ask Him to transform you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you follow Jesus’ commands. Ask Jesus to save you from the sin that’s holding you captive.

Rely on the Church that Jesus has provided. Embrace the sacraments. Join a community that loves and follows Jesus.

Then, like Casey, you’ll receive the freedom to live the life for which He made you.