Boundaries

As I worked on my list of items to take to Ireland and carefully planned overlapping outfits that would stretch my wardrobe, I found myself staring at my bags and a thought hit me: Preparing for a flight is similar to God’s preparation and boundaries for living! Let me try and explain this thought process.

You see, the airlines have set clear boundaries for what you can carry on a plane, and what you can do with those carry-ons. What size those carry-ons can be and how much weight they can have. The boundaries seem super annoying — as I meticulously measure my bags and carefully pack them and pre-weigh them to make sure I’m not going to pay a FEE! — yet, those boundaries are there to keep us safe. Yes, safe. By staying inside those limitations we avoid fees and delays.

By keeping each person within boundaries, we ensure the weight capacity and limitations of the plane aren’t compromised. While being limited to a certain size and limiting the contents in our carry-on may frustrate us — making us put our favorite lotion in a smaller container, then a quart-size baggie which still has to be taken out and scanned separately — it does keep more hazardous items off the plane and keeps the risk of potential harm at a low. While we, ourselves, have no intention of using our freedom in an evil way, we all know there are plenty of people in this world that would use those freedoms to harm everyone they could. Can you imagine if those boundaries were left up to each individual person? I shudder at the thought of what a chaotic mess it would be if each of us were to be allowed to decide that for ourselves.

Much like the scenario with the luggage, our life must alter when we choose to accept the gift of eternal life in Christ. We accept that the limitations and boundaries he’s set for us in his Word are for our benefit, for the benefit of others, and to ensure that his will is placed first in importance, trusting that he has our best in mind.

We choose to follow his outline for life and trust in him, even when it’s frustrating and hard to understand why. Even when it is inconvenient to us and our plans, and even when we are pushed to the limit of what we feel is acceptable, we choose to trust him.  And lest we forget — his boundaries keep us also from carrying the heavy weight of figuring it all out ourselves.

He’s set the boundaries for your life for your joy and protection. Trust him as he lays specific things on your heart, and don’t be afraid to walk that out knowing he’s more than able.