Embracing Boundaries

I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that 2018 is almost gone! Gone! I miss summer already.  This time of the year with the time change, means less day time hours which can affect many in more ways than one.  Less daylight hours mixed with the upcoming holidays can be a bit overwhelming.  Embracing boundaries can be a useful tool to keep us on track.  Boundaries are essential to maintain a balance. 

Some may cringe at the very sound of ‘boundaries’ suggesting it is always negative in connotation but boundaries can be a key to maintain peace.

One of my favorite past times, now that the weather is cooler,  is to walk around my neighborhood.  I am always on the lookout for neighbors who may be in the yard so I can pause and chat a bit.  At one particular house, I am on full alert because they have a dog that always seems to pop up out of nowhere.  The funny thing is that they also have an invisible fence which should put me at ease, but it does not.  As much as I prepare for that dog, he always catches me off guard.  The reason is,  I can pass by his house one or two times, and there is no sign of him.  But, just when I let my guard down, he flies from the back of the house, and he runs as fast as he can until he reaches the invisible fence.

I am so grateful for that fence even though I cannot see it.  It serves as a healthy boundary between me and the dog.  It protects me because…let’s just say I don’t want to know what that dog will do to me.  The fence also protects the dog from me.  That is his yard..his territory, and I have no right passing that boundary line.

Psalms 16:5 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance (NIV).

Psalms 16:5 is one of my favorite verses.  It indicates that God has boundary lines for each of us. We are all different; we all have a purpose and a destiny.  Those boundary lines serve as a way to keep us in our own lane in other words.  They remind us of our limitations, but they also challenge us to reach higher when we haven’t reached our fullest potential so that we can acquire our delightful inheritance.

Often, when I am tired,  and my children are busy talking or want to interrupt, I will ask them to ‘give me a moment’.   I may need a moment because I need to get my thoughts together.  That small response serves as a boundary as well.  It helps me and them because, when I am not at my best,  they won’t get the best me.

As we head into the holidays, let’s remember to set boundaries.  We want to reach our abounding potential and purpose during this season.  We also want to give others our best and not just our leftovers because we are tired.  Boundaries are good…boundaries are ok, and boundaries can help us to maintain a balance.

What about you?  Do you struggle with setting boundaries?  Do you believe God wants to challenge you more because you have not reached the boundary lines for your destiny?

Let’s live!

Tekeela