If you're new around here you'll quickly learn that Ryan and I are the proudest parents to our little guy Oliver. He's amazing! He is sweet and silly and ALL boy. He wants to wiggle and roll and splash and scratch and I love it. When I was pregnant with him, the Lord told me, "I'm going to use Oliver to teach others about the Love of the Father." I'm already seeing that promise come true in our joy boy in so many ways. One of the earliest pictures He showed me was during Oliver's play time and it was all about the Father's boundaries in our lives.
One morning while I was watching Oliver play in the perimeter of pillows I created for him, I had a beautiful illustration pop into my mind. You see, I placed pillows as boundaries for Oliver because I love him. I don't want him to hurt himself by rolling off somewhere that would cause him harm, or get into something not meant for him. You see, he doesn't realize that banging his head on the hard wood floor isn't a great idea, or that the metal corners on the coffee table behind the pillows could cause an injury. So I, in my love for him, placed him within boundaries.
I believe it's the same way with God. Boundaries, standards, rules, obedience... these are GOOD things from a GOOD God. He's not trying to control. Boundaries give us the privilege of striking gold every time, instead of wasting our life in places that will cause exhaustion and pain.
Psalm 16:6 (NIV) says, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surly I have a delightful inheritance." What a promise! The Lord has set us in good boundaries not just to block us from things on the outside but to bless us with things on the inside. Boundaries are a blessing that give us VIP treatment into knowing the goodness of God.
One of my favorite life anthem songs says, "I'm beginning to see, these boundary lines we're meant for me, so I could find all of these treasures, hidden inside a holy God." ("It's My Joy to Love by Sarah Edwards). What a nugget of truth!
- So next time you want to move, but you know God has called you to that city.... thank the Lord for that boundary of blessing that helps you know who to focus your time to in this season.
- Or when all your friends are doing one thing, but you know the Lord is asking you to refrain from that.... stay strong because that boundary is there for good not evil. - When the Holy Spirit starts talking to you about living a pure life, even when the people around you say it's totally okay to _____ (fill in the blank) ... remember the boundaries are placed to create pleasant places in your life and prevent heartbreak and pain. God's not trying to control you with boundaries, He's trying to care for you. You life is full of choices. Live outside of the boundary and you live outside of the blessing. Praying for you today, dear friends, to have courage to count it a joy to live in the closeness of Christ.
- Abby
P.S - Boundaries don't have to be claustrophobic. As you obey and grow, the Lord can trust us with more. This picture is from this morning; one month after the picture at the top. As you can see we have completely removed the pillows and coffee table to give Oliver the whole rug for exploring to match his growth. What a picture for us to be encouraged with!
***Don’t forget, The Cirkles are cheering you on!