Drawing the Line

Boundaries. Fences. Partitions. They perform a vital role in our lives. I have the benefit of working in an office I decorated and created to please and reflect me. It is a space in which I feel comfortable, relaxed and productive. You can tell a lot about me by visiting my work space. It is drenched in warm, spicy colors which tickle my creativity and yet soothes the savage beast within in the evenings as the golden walls glow in lamp light.

Besides defining us, walls keep others out of our space when needed. I can close the door to my office. Workers can position their desks in such a way as to suggest, "Knock before you enter." Walls are very important boundaries, much like fences around yards define personal space and protect turf.

Personal boundaries are much like walls and fences. Personal preferences, feelings and thoughts are all examples of boundaries.

We should not be surprised that boundaries are an important topic since they were ordained by God. God established the universe with a certain order and specific boundaries. We read, in the story of creation, that "the earth was formless and empty; darkness was over the face of the deep." (Genesis 1: 2) Then something wonderful happened. God created — and He used boundaries to create. "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." (Genesis 1: 6) God took out His giant color crayon and made definitions between the land, water and heavens.

God created and created. Different animals, different plants and vegetation, different celestial bodies. Then He created His masterpiece. He created man, and ultimately someone quite different from man — woman.

God created natural boundaries between the land and the water so the earth could function in a manner that supports life. We need to follow His example and establish emotional, spiritual and physical boundaries so our lives can function in a healthy way. These relationship boundaries determine what things are and are not our responsibility. Failing to understanding this principle — what is and what is not our responsibility and living accordingly — is a critical mistake many people make. Allow me to illustrate.

Healthy boundaries help you:
• Know what you think
• Be able to say yes to good things and no to bad things
• Know how to make healthy decisions
• Know how our thoughts are different from others' points of view
• Take responsibility for our actions, and not the actions of others
• Know how to set limits on others' intrusions into our lives
• Respect others' ability to say yes and no, and honor their decisions

I know that all sounds simple but it is not at all easy when you do not have established boundaries for your life. Life is like the waves hitting the beach. Sometimes is rolls along gently and you can depend on it. Other times, it comes crashing in fierce and destructive. For such times, bulkheads are built to protect the land, homes and people. The boundaries are placed to keep the destructive waves at bay as much as possible. Such are the boundaries we need for our lives.

Spiritually, we need to know what we KNOW of the role Jesus has in our lives or we are subject to the whim and waves of every new ‘fad faith’ that comes along. Without spiritual boundaries, we can be swept away by the pressures and sins of human nature.

Emotionally, our boundaries are the ‘good fences that make good neighbors’. There will always be those that tell you what you ‘should’ think, feel and/or do and heaven help you if you’re not confident in your emotional boundaries, because these people, even though some may be well intentioned, can be relentless and dogged in their pursuit of ‘helping’ you with their insight and wisdom they assume you don’t have without benefit of help. Established boundaries in your personal life are essential when you’re surrounded by such ‘helpful’ people.

A lesson I learned the hard way is that if you do not have established boundaries in your relationships, you will find no shortage of people drawing them for you. It may feel counter-Christian to put your boundaries before others’ but, Friends, Jesus had boundaries. He spent much time of being accessible to those around Him but He also knew when to retreat behind the boundary walls to renew, restore and get up close and personal with The Father alone. There was time He spent with just His inner circle, too. Another boundary. We need not feel selfish in establishing boundaries.   

Guard Duty

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

If you’ve been following Truth in the Morning for a while, you know a while back I was working on carving out a nice office space in which to work at home. I love my little office. I’m surrounded by things I love; little jars and stone boxes with soil from countries of previous mission trips, books and more books, photos of loved ones and more. I have the necessities for writing and working. The ceiling fan keeps these hot Texas summer days more tolerable. A comfy chair in which to relax is waiting for me when I need to step away from the computer. The drapes are aesthetically pleasing to me and the color of the walls even makes me happy. I often come in here at night just to sit and read or soak in the peace I find in my little nook.

Recently, however, I have been putting together the mission training materials, pulling out stored research information, and digging through some of our family records. The business end of running a household, bill paying, etc., all happen in here, too. It didn’t happen overnight but little by little things started to pile up while they waited for ‘X’ (fill in the blank here) to happen and now I find my office more of an ‘office’ than a peaceful retreat in which to be creative and exercise the gifts God gave me. I want my peace back, I need my peace back.

The Scripture above, Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things, tells us in no uncertain terms where we need to focus and fill our minds. If we clutter our thoughts with fear, anger, resentment, poor pitiful me or somebody done me wrong songs, we do not have room for all the whatever’s Paul listed. Just like my office morphed from peaceful and creativity inspiring retreat to, well…an office, our thoughts can gradually be taken over by the negatives in this world and we no longer see the beauty and peace available to us when we focus our minds on godly issues.

How much more we can be of service to the Lord when we channel our thinking on all that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellence, and worthy of praise!

My mind is made up and I am committed to taking my place of peace and joy back today! We need to take back our minds and thoughts in the same way. We need to take inventory of what we have in them now, edit out all that is either unnecessary or unproductive, and set boundaries on what we allow to enter in. We need a security check at the hypothetical doorway to our minds and to remain diligent in policing all that enters so the peace of God is not shoved in a corner but fills every inch of space! And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Within the Circle

Romans 12:1-2 (Heb-Greek)I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message) So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

D.L. Moody tells a story about having heard Pastor Henry Varley once say that, "The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him."

As Moody pondered the pastor's words, He realized something. Pastor Varley did not say that God would use an intelligent person. He didn't say an educated person, nor did he say a person who was ultimately gifted. What the wise pastor said was that the person with whom God will work with and for and through will be the person "who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him".

Let’s look at what ‘consecrated’ means.
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Consecrated persons, places, things are also "circumscribed", i.e. a "circle is drawn" around them: a boundary is set which must not be crossed, unauthorized approach is forbidden or barred or is deflected or redirected, and careless or casual treatment or use of the person, place, thing, doctrine or subject is a punishable offense. Circumscription includes consecration but has a much broader meaning. Whatever is circumscribed is "off limits", "out of bounds. To disregard the circumscribed quality of what has been "set apart" is to "cross the line" and to "step over the boundary" of the "circle drawn" around it. Not all that is circumscribed is sacred, but all that is consecrated is circumscribed. A synonym for consecration is to sanctify. An antonym is desecrate.

A person consecrated to Christ is one who chooses to be set apart from the pack. They don’t ‘go along to get along’ and they have established boundaries in their lives by which they live and serve, deflecting anything outside that sacred circle that isn't pleasing to God. A visual of the Armor of God just flashed before my eyes with the shield of faith raised deflecting temptations and ungodly thoughts, “Not in my circle!”   

God isn’t looking for people with amazing minds or hands or voices or computer skills. He’s not looking for those who are wearing the nicest suits or dresses at church. And He’s not looking for the people with the highest grade point averages at the local Christian College. What God is really looking for, are people who are simply sold out for Him!
 
One of the great secrets to a successful walk with the Lord is understanding total commitment to Jesus. But being totally committed requires us to daily take up our cross — leave the past behind us — and despite all the obstacles the enemy tries to throw in our path, press forward for the Lord and His work! Let's consecrate ourselves to the Lord again today.

Through the Eyes of a Child

Isaiah 11:6 - The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

This past week we had our grandson, Braden, stayed a couple of days to visit. It was delightful to have him here. He’s an observant, deep kid in spite of his total pesky boy times. Can you hear the chorus of “Boys will be boys”? I can. During that time, I tried to look at my world through his eyes because he found wonder in the things I took for granted.

He commented one evening that we were good parents to our dogs. I had trained our little Chihuahuas, Nikos and Pan Dulce, to use the puppy stairs to get on the couch. All I have to say is ‘stairs’ and they go around to them and walk up. Braden thought that was awesome.

We keep a blanket or sheet folded up on one end of the chaise part of our sectional couch for another of our dogs, Chelsie. She has long beautiful blond hair and our couch is dark denim blue…We allow Chelsie on the couch, too, but she knows the command ‘blanket’ and stays there for the most part. She gets sneaky and tries to inch her way to any people sitting on the couch but goes back with a reminder command. She’s not exactly lap dog size, though she thinks she is.

None of the dogs are allowed up on the couch unless they are invited. This lesson has been the hardest for Nina, the youngest and rather impulsive ChiWeenie, our Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. She can spring up like a gazelle and takes every opportunity to do so, right into anyone’s lap to kiss their face all over. To maintain any semblance of order in a four dog house, boundaries have to be set.

When I started writing this I was frustrated by our dogs barking in the back. Any little wild rabbit or feral cat that crosses through our back yard sets them off and they bark. I was telling myself, “Dogs will be dogs and they think they are protecting our home.” I know that to be true, but it was irritating anyway.

Back to their boundaries, we have our back porch and their potty run fenced in so they cannot just run about the neighborhood. It is neighborhood policy to keep dogs penned, though not everyone complies, but our concern is also for the small ones. They would be a tasty treat for a coyote or hawk. And they are just too cute not to tempt an unscrupulous person to claim them as their own. We have a friend in the village that does not pen their dogs and have lost several over the years to cars, snake bites and even other dogs. So, fence it is. They have a doggy door and can come & go into the house as they choose. Even within the flexibility of that they have boundaries. When we need to keep them contained, like when I’m cooking dinner, we put a baby gate in the doorway between the kitchen and utility room. They are in out of the elements but not under my feet as I cook. They have automatic feeder & water bowls available to them at all times in the utility room that has blankets covering the hard floor for their comfort. It’s a pretty cushy life, all in all.

I said all that to say this, seeing it through Braden’s eyes gave me a new perspective. Even as a child, he saw the love and care we had for our pets and commented on it. He knew the rules and boundaries we kept for them and still called us good parents. Each of the four dogs has their own personality and quirks and tries to push the boundaries when they think they can but thrive in our home under those boundaries. Are we any different from them when it comes to living within the boundaries of a Christian faith walk?

 
Our loving Father set boundaries for us to ensure our eternal safety and well being. Some ‘bark’ about it, calling it restrictive and confining. People will be people, after all. Others, like Nina, are repeatedly rebuked when they ignore the lessons. Some, just as Chelsie, think they can sneak slowly into disobedience and no one will notice. We’ve all seen those people that think their ‘cuteness’ will buy them favor and parental attention, this is Pan Dulce’s ploy. Last but not least, we have those, like Nikos, that hold fast to their leadership positions believing they are exempt from time to time. Still, our Father loves us unconditionally and leaves the boundaries in place because He does. He’s a good people parent, an example to follow.