Boundaries

Not too long ago, our daughter wanted to sleep over at a friend's house. John and I talked about it and decided against it for a number of reasons, the primary being that we just don't feel comfortable with that environment for our little girl. She was of course, heartbroken. I'm talking giant crocodile tears. I ached for her. But ultimately I knew we were making the best decision for her.

In an effort to explain our decision, I used our small dog as an example. Maestro is a skilled escape artist, and I asked Samantha why it is that we don't want her to escape. She named a list of dangers that Maestro faces outside the security of our home, and we compared that to the dangers I know exist for her (Samantha) out in this big world. She gracefully accepted the comparison and realized that we were not allowing her to spend the night at this friend's house because we know more than she does, and love her too much to send her vulnerable 11-year-old self into a potentially dangerous environment.

Much like Maestro, I myself am a skilled escape artist. I have too often seen the door satan has opened for me, by way of temptation or lustful desires and cravings, and lept through the doorway only to break the boundaries God has set for me, the ones He has built for my own good and my protection. I am engaged in a strict eating plan right now, and those are the boundaries He has given me. Like Maestro, and Samantha, I don't presently have the ability, the knowledge or the maturity to live outside those lines. Instead I am learning to respect the boundaries God designed for me, and more often now, I am finding peace in these boundaries by choosing to walk away from that open door and stay inside the safety of the house, instead of escaping into the world of food which is most definitely a potentially dangerous environment.

Outside these loving boundaries, I am a prime target for satan to quickly usher me away from home, and away from the peace I deserve and the peace God wants for me. Finally, I'm learning to regard His boundaries as as a source of protection, not restriction or deprivation, and I hope you will too.