The Commandments Keep

In Medieval Europe, Keeps were fortified towers in the heart of castles that served as the lord of the castle’s primary residence and the defense of last resort should the walls of the castle be breached. They were essentially a fortress within a fortress. We always stress the importance that we keep the commandments, but we should also consider how the commandments can be a keep, or a fortified tower, to protect us from the chaos and evils and tragedies of the world. Every time we choose to keep the commandments, we strengthen and fortify and strengthen the Commandments Keep at the core of our soul. In times of peace, it may not always seem obvious why we must continue to strengthen and fortify our Commandments Keep, especially when our castle has such strong walls. But when our friends desert us and our family abandons us and our job lays us off and our community turns on us and the storms rage and the very jaws of hell gape open the mouth after us and the walls of our castle our breached and overrun, then it is a very good thing that we have spent a lifetime strengthening and fortifying our Commandments Keep. When all else fails, our dedication to keeping the Commandments will serve as a place of strength and refuge when all other defenses have been compromised or eliminated. I know that if we commit to keeping the commandments in times of peace, then in times of conflict the commandments will keep us safe and whole and sane. I hope that we can all continuously work on our Commandments Keep each and every day of our lives.