the Way, the Truth, and the Life

I'm a substitute code enforcement officer for a city. I tell people to cut their grass, pick up their junk, paint their garage and generally that they are slobs that never cleaned their rooms when they were kids. Fun job. There are connections, however, between code enforcement and God that I have come to appreciate. The code (or the law, if that has not already begun to cross your mind as an analogy) is something that truly has a purpose. This is the first lesson I learned. I could not for the longest time justify going up to an elderly lady and tell her she had to paint her garage. Seems rather non-merciful. But the lesson is simple. If she does not paint it, the garage deteriorates and drives down the property value. I am thus both looking out for her investment in her property and the neighboring ones as well by telling her to paint it. And that is the purpose of the law that God gave, to look out for me and my neighbors. Also, it teaches me who my neighbor is and w