Walls

Walls. Something we see everyday and never pay much attention to unless, of course, a problem develops. They provide security, privacy, protection from creatures and the elements and sometimes even make a statement about us. We decorate them and live within them. They form part of our speech in everyday phrases such as: 'to bang your head against a brick wall, driven up the wall, a fly on the wall, met with a wall of silence, our backs to the wall, bouncing off the walls, the writing's on the wall, or the walls have ears', etc. Walls also feature in songs - can you think of any? Here are a few: 'Another brick in the wall', 10 greens bottles sitting on the wall, or even Humpty Dumpty!

The Bible speaks of the walls of Jericho falling down and Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Other famous walls throughout history are the Great Wall of China, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Hadrian's Wall in Britain and, of course, the turbulent years of the Berlin Wall with it's construction and destruction leading to the division and reunification of Germany during the 20th century.

Then, there are the walls in life that are not so visible. Ones that are often good and necessary, but which, at times, can become unhealthy. The emotional and spiritual ones we erect around our hearts, minds and lives to try and protect ourselves from hurt. The restrictive barriers communities put in place with attitudes or rigid rules and regulations which can lead to discrimination and division. I'm sure you can think of other examples.