When I was a little kid I loved to ride my bike around the neighborhood. I grew up in a neighborhood with lots of other kids, street lights, ice cream trucks, lemonade stands, and rows and rows of houses. It was awesome as a child. I remember in the evenings or during the day when I would want to ride my bike but didn’t have anyone to go out in the streets with me my mom and dad would give me “boundaries” This was their word of choice for the landmarks that marked where I could and couldn’t go on my bike. It never bothered me, I never really wanted to break free from my “boundaries” I was just happy to be riding my bike. I would go from the stop sign to the light pole, round and round and round. I was free to do the exact thing I wanted but under my parents protection. They knew where I was even though they weren’t right there with me and at anytime they needed they could step out the front door and check the “boundaries” for my where abouts.
Kids need boundaries, they need protection, and they need security. They are not built to wander on their own where the unimaginable and unpredictable could pop up in their path. It makes great sense and I will most likely use likewise structures in my own home as my kids grow up. But lately, I have been thinking about boundaries as an adult. Boundaries as an adult don’t always seem as freeing do they? Boundaries now make us feel restricted and when we feel restricted, we feel BOUND.
There are certain triggers and situations that seem to bring on some old habits for me. I have written in the past about becoming lost in my mind, robotic, anxious, and simply not present to the world around me because I am so locked up in thinking thoughts that are spinning me in circles about things that don’t really matter, like schedules and routines. I have recognized how unGodly these times are. I am called to live in freedom, I am called to live life abundantly, I have the power to take every thought captive, and I am a blessing to the people around me and my presence to them does matter. Because of this thorn in my flesh I have found ways in my life to put boundaries around those situations that can trigger these moments in my life, ultimately to protect me from falling into these darker places. But as I implemented boundaries I found myself in a wave of battles, some days feeling so free from the distractions in my minds and other days feeling so bound by the fact I have to give myself boundaries to accomplish freedom.
I realized, that these waves of battles were being cycled in my life, because I felt as if my maturity entitled me to a life without boundaries. In my mind, I should just be able to be free from these struggles without help, but everytime I would step outside of them it was only a matter of time because I would slip right back into my danger zone. But then I took a look at the nature of the Lord and the way he has designed himself in relationship with us as a Father. I saw that when it comes to living a life that is glorifying to the Lord, we must stay under our daddy’s protection. No matter how old, mature, or secure I become here on earth when I accepted Christ as my savior I was adopted into God’s Kingdom. I became a child of God. This is a GOOD thing. But just like the little girl riding her back within the safety zone of her parents the Lord will give us boundaries to live a life untormented for the dangers of evil and sin. We are not left alone here on earth to struggle through, we are here under the wings of the King of all Kings. We have taken His name and gained sonship into his family. What a great place to be!
In Psalm 121:7 the bible says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life.” I want this. I want to be protected by the Lord. I want him to watch over me. And I also want freedom, especially from sinful patterns and mind battles. But let’s look back to my childhood. Just like riding my bike in the street with no supervision, how could my parent’s keep me safe without boundaries? If they didn’t say you can ride your bike but only from the stop sign to the light pole, how could they keep a watch over me and protect me from harm? They gave me freedom to have the desires of my heart but they kept their role as parents to protect me. God does the same for us in adulthood. He gives us the freedom here on earth but to stay under His watch and protection but sometimes it requires boundaries. I have my thorn in the flesh, but what is yours? Is it taking drinking too much when you are out with friends? Is it anger? Is it physical boundaries with your significant others? What are the roads in your life that take you to a place of sin?
The fact is you get to go down these roads if you so wish, and God is big enough to still be by your side in the darkness. But if your desire for a life without giving into bad habits and ungodly patterns then you may have to set some boundaries. Because ultimately, a life without these patterns and battles that you face, THAT IS FREEDOM! And if it takes boundaries to achieve that, then great!
We have to lay down our pride and see ourselves as children of God. Allow your heavenly Father to set boundaries for you to keep you out of sin. We all have something. Yes, that’s right, none of us are perfect. And the Lord is not surprised by “our something” that keeps rearing its ugly head in our lives but he does offer guidance on how to keep us free from it. Sometimes we are blessed enough for full deliverance and sometimes it takes boundaries to keep us in deliverance. And the lie is that if you do need boundaries that you are weak. This was my struggle. I don’t want to have boundaries. I want to be able to be safe without them. But that is not the case, I have weak points, but I love my life 100% times better when I am not dealing with the shame of the moments that I gave into temptation or allowed my mind to be captivated by anxiety. Just like I didn’t mind the boundaries on my bike because it gave me the chance to do what I desired, I will stop fighting against the boundaries in my adult life that keep God’s freedom flowing through me. Where I am weak, He is strong, and this is exactly how it is designed to be.
Embrace your boundaries today! Let go of pride. And know giving up the bars, the late nights, the gossiping environments, or whatever it may be that you need to keep you safe from sin, will in return give you the exact life you are desiring. A life under the wing of the Almighty King!
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