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A City Without Walls

When I was younger, I took a trip to England.  During that short time, I was probably most fascinated by our stop in York.  Aside from the incredible Yorkminster cathedral we toured and the creepy "ghost tour" that we took, I was struck by how the city is surrounded by a stone wall.  The more I learn of medieval and ancient history, the more I understand how common this is because, for much of history, a wall around a large city was a critical component of the city's structure, strength, and security, providing a sense of safety to inhabitants and a deterrent to unwanted outsiders.  In a way, city walls also acted as physical container for group or cultural identity for all who "belonged" to that city.

But a city that was broken into and had no walls was defenseless, weak, provided no security for its inhabitants, and was therefore easy pickings for outsiders looking to steal what they can.  Rather than having a place for refuge, the inhabitants would scatter at the sign of the first threat.  This is the image the author of Proverbs uses to describe a person without self-control, a person who does not rule over his or her own spirit.  

"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." (Proverbs 25:28)

Have you ever thought of yourself as a "city?"  What kind of city are you?  Are you a city that contains your spirit well, that is not easily plundered, with an identity that is grounded between your walls?  Or are you a city where your spirit is unrestrained and all over the place at the sign of the first threat, easy to provoke and take from, easy to have your buttons pushed, easy to draw away?

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