Today's title caught my eye and I opened it- I'm so glad I did because it spoke right to my heart- Appreciating the boundaries in my life has been a struggle.......................to trust that God has everything under control- even when things are not going my way........To trust the boundaries He has set up in my life..........I feel Him whispering in my ear "have faith daughter.........HAVE FAITH."
Thank you so much Tre'ba for sending this link- Your life is such an encouragement to me and your joy and love for the Lord is a total inspiration!! I love you friend..............muah!!!
Testing Fences21 Oct 2011
Each morning when I let my dog out he does a lap around the perimeter of our yard and then comes back to ram his body against the gate, just to see if he can get out of the confinement we’ve put him in. He looks over at me as he does it, as if to say, “Just checking.” The other morning I was laughing about what a silly dog he is. Then it occurred to me that I am not that different from him when it comes to the fences in my life. Like my dog, I have a Master who has constructed boundaries to keep me safe. But I don’t always like those boundaries. I don’t understand why they have to be there. Why can’t I just be free to roam where I please, call my own shots, make my own decisions? Why must there be fences to hem me in? Like my dog, I am quick to forget that those fences are there for my protection. And so I go around kicking them, testing them, pushing against them instead of accepting them. Instead of trusting, I just feel trapped. As I look back over my life, I can see many fences I’ve tested. When God made me a mother, I questioned the position I’d landed in. Perhaps I’d be better off somewhere else, doing something else. When God directed us to do whatever it took to get our finances under control, I longed for the days when I could run free with my credit card. When marriage got really, really hard, I wondered if I was meant to be bound to this one man forever. When God called me to homeschooling, I resisted being tied to my home and children, slow to realize that God placed me there to teach me things I could’ve never learned otherwise. As I’ve surveyed the path of my purpose, I’ve found myself wondering if another path would be better—if I am truly where I am supposed to be. It seems I have struggled with every boundary, pushing against every fence God has ever erected in my life. Instead of seeing the place He puts me as a reason for my safety, I dwell on how it inhibits me. I can see how those boundaries kept me in a place where He could reach me. And when the time came, I saw the benefits of those boundaries. Through motherhood, I learned to be a servant. Through marriage I learned to forgive and accept forgiveness. Through paying off debt, I learned the blessings of financial freedom. Through homeschooling I learned to lay down my agenda for His. I am a better person—and I know God better—through the boundaries in my life. Have you struggled with some boundaries of your own? Maybe today you’re looking at the fences in your life and wanting to throw yourself against them instead of seeing them as pleasant places and trusting that within those confines waits your delightful inheritance. Maybe you’ve forgotten that your Master erected those perimeters for your good. This morning a neighbor knocked at our door. My dog had pushed against the fence and this time it had given way. He had escaped and gone for a romp through our neighborhood, happy and free, oblivious to the cars that could have hit him, the dog catcher who would be only too happy to put him in the pound. The neighbor brought him back to me and I put him in the fence, this time making sure the gate was securely latched. He still didn’t understand the need for his fence. But I, his master, do. He just has to trust that I have erected the fence for his safety, and dwell in his pleasant place. Just like me. |
