Blog

Apr 24, 2026 06:00am

Guardrails, Gutters, and God’s Guidance

70 Views

Gutter ball. Again.

Bowling was much easier with the guardrails, wasn’t it? I can remember them popping up when it was my turn. Being a weak and scrawny kid, they definitely helped me stay out of the gutter.

One time, it might have been at my birthday party, when I saw them bring out this metal contraption for another kid. They pushed it close to the front of the lane, and then he set his ball on top. With one push, that ball slowly made its way off the metal “slide” and down the lane toward the pins.

“STRIKE!”

I definitely needed that!

As I got older, the slide and the railings went away. They were not there to keep me on track. If I was going to keep my ball out of the gutter, I had to focus, remember what I had been taught, and use the little arrows on the lane to aim.

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” — Philippians 2:12–13

In the King James Version, the phrase is “work out your own salvation.” This does not mean that you earn your salvation by doing work. Paul was talking to the believers in Philippi, people who had already been saved. This chapter has focused on the church serving together.

Paul was reminding them that while they were together, they served in the way Christ did. They listened and learned from Paul, and they put it into practice. But now that he was away, they would not have him to rely on. They would have to work things out themselves.

Paul was like the guardrails on the bowling lane.

He was just there to help them as they learned. If they focused on the mission and remembered what they had been told, they would succeed, because ultimately, it was God who was working in them. If they would only listen for His voice and yield to His guidance.

The disciples felt that way too. Jesus was with them. Any time they had questions, fears, or doubts, they could go straight to Jesus. But when Christ told them He was going away, a whole new worry and fear set in. How could they do this without Him?

He promised that when He went away, He would send them a Helper, an Advocate, One who would always lead them and keep them on the right path: the Holy Spirit.

We feel like we still need the guardrails and the little slide, don’t we? Not just in bowling, but in our decisions, as we try to navigate God’s will for our lives, and as we attempt to love others and serve Him. The Holy Spirit is our reminder. We can do this. He is like the little arrows on the lane, helping us stay on the path of our mission.

Follow His lead.

Or maybe you have been invited to the bowling alley, but you do not know a thing about it. You need someone to come alongside you and teach you. You are brand new to this whole Christian life, and you feel overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. It is okay to start with the guardrails.

Let me help.

Go to follow.lifeword.org and learn more about Jesus, His transforming power, and His mission that He invites you to join.