Boundaries

I’m reading Romans these days and the Apostle Paul often talks about the law vs. grace. From the beginning the Law was created for the sole purpose of pointing us to Christ. The Law shows us, that no matter the extent of human effort put forth, there is no way to meet every letter of the law at all times, 24/7. He even suggests that the “law” arouses sin (sin is simply breaking the law). At first glance that seems cruel and absolutely unfair. It’s as if we’re set up to fail. However, when you really look at it – it’s true!

You and I both know the tried and true cliché that “rules were made to be broken.” The minute we have boundaries (the law) we want to break through them. When our parents told us “No!” we found a way to make it happen despite them. We are so bent on breaking rules that questioning authority, bucking the system, finding the loophole is the first way to approach anything we face. We want to be FREE of restriction… Free to do what we want, when we want and how we want.

Yet boundaries are there for our protection… they are in place to allow us to grow and thrive within the boundaries. There is a natural order to things… we have to crawl before we walk, when we prove ourselves capable with X, we are given Y… when we can handle X & Y we’re given more. The relationship of parent & child is the perfect illustration of the benefits of boundaries. Even from the moment we arrive we’re swaddled up tight in a blanket – to prevent us from being hurt or hurting ourselves.

As humans who are hell bent on being free to do what we want, there will always be those who decide to make their own rules, to dictate or torment and torture those they are entrusted to care for. There will always be those unhappy individuals who just want to make life difficult and impose ridiculous restrictions on others.

But I’m talking in the general sense… Boundaries are good! Boundaries are needed to make the planet and civilization function properly. Without boundaries destruction is imminent and inevitable… within nature and within humankind.

Of course, taking the time to look beyond the first glance of boundaries – which usually just reveals the restrictions – is the problem. Again, as humans bent on being free to do as we please, we don’t want to take the time to stop and consider the bigger picture… the potential ripple effect of bucking the system… consequences always follow and often are not pleasant.

If only we would consider the bigger picture more often… For then we would see and experience the unlimited freedom that can come within boundaries.