Not long ago I mentioned in one of my stories that my family took a vacation to Yellowstone Park. An experience from that vacation keeps coming to mind. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to share it.

One night my daughter, Sherise, and I were walking side-by-side on the boardwalk through Norris Geyser Basin. All around us were the boiling pots of Yellowstone. Now, we’d read the signs going in telling us that those boardwalks were there for our own safety, and that we’d better stay on ‘em.

As we strolled along, Sherise suddenly stepped out on the very edge of the boardwalk, and began a sort of balanced walking still holding my hand. Well, I jerked her back into the middle of the boardwalk.

“But, Dad,” she protested, “I want to walk on the edge.”

I – I couldn’t resist. Seeing an opportunity to teach, I said, “Do you know what that means?”

Now, the look she gave me told me that she had no clue what I was talking about. I explained to her that ‘walking on the edge’ is what some people call ‘living on the edge.’ It means they’re always flirting with danger. They push the limits of safety, seeing just how far they can go and just how much they can get away with.

Now, all the while I’m explaining this, Sherise is still out there dancing on the edge. I could see that she’d heard me, but the message hadn’t registered. So while she skipped merrily along, I sidled over – and with a quick jerk on my hip I bumped her off the boardwalk near one of the hotpots.

“Dad!” she protested indignantly.

Well, she scrambled back up before she got caught walking where the law said she shouldn’t. She gave me one of those looks that’s hotter than the water she’d been standing by.

When she was back up beside me, this time interestingly enough in the middle of the boardwalk, I said, “Now, why shouldn’t we walk on the edge?”

“‘Cause you might fall off,” she said.

“Now, do you understand?” I said.

She nodded her head, and you know for the rest of the trip I never again caught her walking on the edge. And you know, for the rest of her life – I hope I never do.

Whether we’re speaking of our physical safety or our spiritual health, it is the same. Walking or living on the edge is dumb and dangerous. It wouldn’t be so bad if Satan weren’t walking right by us, but he is. He’s just waiting for us to get out on the edge.

Now, don’t be fooled. Satan’s not a guy in a red suit with little horns and an attitude. He’s real! His hatred is real, and his vigilant opposition is constant. If we live on the edge, sooner or later – and it’s not an ‘if,’ it’s a ‘when’ – he will push us off into forbidden territory. And I assure you – the pain and the effort it takes to get back once we’re off is just not worth the risk or the thrill.

And one last thing: For those who find themselves already off the boardwalk and trying to get back, thank God we have a Savior with an outstretched hand.