The edge of the cliff

My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.  He is my refuge, my Savior, the one who saves me from violence.

~2 Samuel 22:3

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

~Psalm 18:2

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

~Psalm 62:2

When I read these verses, I realize that the smartest thing I could do is to fix myself as close as possible to the mountain of God.  And yet, there are times when I am just plain dumb.  One of the biggest struggles I have is not that I am throwing myself off of God's protective summit, but that I come so close to "the edge" of the cliff that I can be pulled off by the enemy with the littlest of tugs.  

How much can I be angry without it being labeled "sin"?  How closely can I come to gossip before it's actually called that?  When is the exact moment my relaxation becomes laziness?

Watch this video of a golden eagle pulling a goat off a mountain and you'll see just how dangerous it can be to hang out at life's cliff edge.

O God, I pray that I will remain as close to your life-giving mountain as possible.  Please keep me alert, sober-minded, and always on guard for those little nudges in my life that are capable of throwing me into a deathly free fall.  Thank you for your mercy and grace which sustains me.  I pray that I can use this day to honor you and bring myself closer to your calling for my life.