On a winding mountain road, guard rails serve to create margin between where we are and the present danger that lies over the edge. While most of us would agree that such guardrails are important on the roads, we so often live in relationships, marriages, and in our financial dealings without any guardrails in place. Worldly wisdom proves to be completely insufficient for speaking into these areas. In Nehemiah 7:1-4, Nehemiah takes proactive steps to close the gates of the city to protect it at times of the day when it is most vulnerable. For Christians, our most common response to the parts of our lives that are vulnerable is to hide. Just as Nehemiah appoints the people in the city to watch the gate, so should we appoint those in our lives who have skin in the game to act as safeguards in our lives over the places where we are most vulnerable. God calls us from wherever we start our journey to a place of holiness. It is ok to start far away from a standard of holiness, but setting up guardrails in our lives is an integral part of walking towards Jesus.