Keys: Sometimes It's a Matter of Life and Death

Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew gives the keys of heaven to Peter. With these keys, Jesus entrusts Peter with tremendous authority. He tells Peter that whatever he prohibits and allows on earth will be prohibited and allowed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) Jesus demonstrates complete faith in Peter, for heaven is the eternal home for Jesus and all of his followers.

All of us have keys that safeguard our belongings and treasures. We take care to lock up our houses, cars, and other physical possessions. We secure our money at banks and other financial institutions. We even lock up our hearts. Like it or not, with each of our bodies and possessions, comes a key.

We can choose to live in complete isolation and hold on tightly to all of our keys. Most people choose to commingle and interact with society. As we interact with people we develop relationships. As the relationships grow, we begin to trust people. As we trust people we begin to let loose our keys. When our keys rest in the hands of others we can get burned. I trust that all of us have been ablaze on at least one occasion. However, we all have different risk tolerances. Therefore, we all grip our keys differently.

Hopefully, as we progress through life, we learn to trust our keys to sincere, decent and honest people. Remember, not everyone that purports to tell it like it is, call it like they see it or claims to know the truth, is a person that is deserving of any of our keys.

A wolf often comes disguised as a sheep. Even a shepherd with a keen eye who unwittingly lets down his guard and gives the wolf the key to his pasture, will watch his flock scatter. The wolf will then take charge and other wolves will soon join the fray. Their appetite will not be satisfied until they devour the flock and the shepherd.