"...What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" (Deut. 10:12-13)

While living in Florida, I had several friends who worked cleaning rooms at a nationally known Inn located directly on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico. They spent their work-breaks running barefoot in the sand. A problem arose when the owners of the Inn required all employees to wear shoes at all times while working.

I noticed that the employees responded in two ways: The majority thought the rule restricted their freedom. The rooms had shag carpeting, delightful to bare toes. To them the rule to wear shoes was nothing more than employer harassment. However, the minority looked at the rule differently. Sometimes, late night parties would produce small pieces of broken glass. Occasionally, a stickpin would be found hidden in the deep shag piles. Some knew the pain of skinning bare toes on the steel bed frame while making a bed. This minority saw the rule as protection, not restriction. (From Timothy Munyon)

God's laws were not written to put unbearable restrictions upon man. They were written for man's good, and it is exceedingly wise for man to follow them.