The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)
As I was riding with my friend in her car, she remarked that when we stopped she would have to make an adjustment to the mirror on the passenger side of the vehicle. She explained that she had moved it inward close to the side of the car because it was being attacked by a male cardinal. I had never heard of this before, but when I got home I did a little research. Sure enough, while a male cardinal may accept a different bird species in the nearby area where he has staked his territory – it will not tolerate another male cardinal. This is because too many of one species in that zone may deplete the desired food sources and nesting locations, thus exhibiting as a threat. When a cardinal sees its reflection as in my friend’s car mirror for instance, it’s perception is that there’s another like bird in his territory and it will attack until the other retreats. In nature it will just go away, but in a reflection, of course, he remains. Therefore, the cardinal will continue to pursue his own image.
Animals are very territorial; however, staking out one’s territory is very common to man as well. If you ever shared a bedroom with a sibling when you were young, it would not be unusual to establish an imaginary line down the middle of the room. The premise to this exercise was most often followed by the affirmation, “You stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine.” That works very well until it becomes necessary to cross the other’s space to go to the kitchen for a snack or to use the bathroom. It doesn’t get any better as we grow older. We’re not always good at sharing what we perceive to be ours, and as we grow into adulthood we find ourselves asserting our territory even more. When we buy our first house, we put up a fence to make it perfectly clear where the property lines are located. At work, we sometimes establish turf issues around projects or responsibilities which we deem to be our own. One must wonder how the God we worship feels about the boundaries we erect and the territories we protect.
A person with healthy boundaries takes responsibility for his own life and allows others to live theirs. Learning limitations at a young age is important. If as children we do not learn to follow those set for us in the home, it will be difficult to respect God’s as we become adults. In our spiritual journey, we learn to establish boundaries according to God’s law and the teachings of Christ. We are to exercise self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Boundaries are a fruit of submitting to God’s will, and He will enable us to make godly choices. Establishing proper boundaries assists Believers in separation from the dark worldly influences to which we are frequently exposed. Instead as His followers, we find ourselves led “as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Healthy boundaries define expectations, but it is important that they also show respect for others. It’s difficult for us to see others who are not within our boundaries as God would. It isn’t easy not to feel anger, a sense of injustice, even fear, when we think that God loves someone who stands outside of what we believe to be our established borders. We have to be careful that we do not become self-righteous, being defined by pride. For just as God shows grace to me does not mean that there is less grace available to my neighbor. Scripture says that “The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries” (Proverbs 15:25). Even those who have less-defined boundaries than our own but who remain humble may have God’s blessing and protection more than the self-reliant sinner. If we are setting healthy and spiritually-led boundaries, then God will bless us. However, if we are maintaining distance simply because we desire to exclude someone, that is sinful. For if we find ourselves like the cardinal looking into the mirror of life and see anything but God’s reflection, then it may be time to take a close look at the boundaries we have defined for ourselves.
REFLECTON: Think about the boundaries you have set in your life? Do they raise you up or do they honor God? How can we break free from those boundaries which have been defined for us, if we feel a conviction that they are not of God? What should we do if we are part of organizations or other established groups whose core values are different than those within our own boundaries?
A NEW LOOKUP DEVOTION IS UPLOADED EACH WEEK. THE NEXT WEEKLY POSTING WILL BE ON SAT., JULY 2, 2016. COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED.