Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Boundary Lines

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5,6

I had to review this verse this morning, first thing, and ask myself if I really believed it. Do my boundary lines fall in pleasant places? I woke up with an acute awareness that my boundary lines are being drawn in to a greater degree than ever before in my life. Being a wife and especially a mom to young children makes my boundary lines seem tight at times. But, add to that some acute back pain and other limiting health issues, and I woke up this morning only able to see how the boundary lines God has chosen for me places limitations on me...like the limitation of not being able to sit at the dinner table with my family, or sit through a church service or in a car for more than 5 minutes without being in what I would call very distracting pain. (I limit excruciating pain to what I experienced last November with my back...nothing has yet come close to that level of pain).

Not much unlike my 3 year olds, I could choose, and often do, to look at all the things oustide my boundary lines, all the ways the boundary lines God has Sovereignly placed in my life limit me. But instead, the Holy Spirit graciously again turns my gaze to behold all that has been given to me WITHIN my boundary lines. I have a delightful inheritance, this passage says. Among so many tangible blessings that I could enumerate, what is most delightful and where I am choosing to set my thoughts upon today is the inheritance Christ has purchased for me by His blood shed on the cross for my sins...an inheritance, that Peter says, can never perish, spoil or fade!

This is NO SMALL THING!! The God of the Universe, Creator of all Things, the One who gives all living things their breath, who sustains my existence, and who is perfectly Holy and justly punishes sin has chosen to show me mercy by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross and take the punishment that my sin justly deserves. This same Jesus rose again to conquer death and defeat the power of sin for all who believe in Him. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see and believe these truths and now I have an inheritance waiting for me in Heaven where I will spend eternity with my God, clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness and my Heavenly body...a body that will never ache, never tire, never wrinkle, never need so much rest. I will be at perfect rest.

These thoughts, while they don't take away my physical pain, quiet my heart and help me to be grateful for all that lies within my boundary lines. These thoughts remind me AGAIN that my boundary lines do indeed fall in pleasant places.

6 comments:

krista said...

Amen. :-)
I too am in a season where I'm challenged to be contented with God's provision and timing--He is never late, and always good.

Anonymous said...

isn't He wonderful to show us these seemingly small truths that make such a big difference in our life.

Btw.. hope your back feels better. My mom has suffered with back pain and i have worked for a P.T. so I have seen first hand people with such pain. :( I will be praying for you.

Karen

Anonymous said...

Great to reinforce these truths to ourselves, no matter our circumstances!

Anonymous said...

what an encouragement. something i need to be reminded each minute when i am chafing at the boundary lines he has hemmed me in with. i don't like it at all...but it is the truth.

Unknown said...

thanks for reminding me to take ten looks at the Cross. while tackling sin is IMPERATIVE, solely focusing on it has been killing me... this helped. you snapped the rubber band on my wrist :)

the one and only,
y
(til the one and only Bella is old enough to take over. HA!)

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