The first question is … who set your boundaries? You? Circumstances? “Life”? Did you give this power and authority to someone else to make those determinations for/over you? Why? Did you simply stop because you didn’t know? You can know and understand them… you don’t need to walk in ignorance or error. Scripture has clearly outlined do’s and don’t’s – given us our ‘boundaries’.
I think that part of the issue is how we define our words. For one person, ‘boundaries’ mean restrictions – something one can’t determine and have no control over. To another, it may mean a kind of security – knowing what one can do and what one shouldn’t. Do either reflect your attitude on this? More importantly… do you know why? Interestingly enough, there are over 100 verses in scripture that talk about our boundaries. Evidently… this is a very important topic. And when it comes to personal boundaries… critical.
AGW says:
“A personal boundary, as most people use the term, is a defining line that separates individuals from one another. There are areas in my life that belong to me, and there are areas in your life that belong to you. …
This idea can be applied to all aspects of our lives, not just to physical space and time. Your body, your thoughts, your relationships, your beliefs, and so many other things that belong to you should have personal boundaries set around them. Anything you have authority over requires an intentional boundary be placed around it. In fact, the Bible tells us our life will be a mess unless we put up personal boundaries.” (https://applygodsword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-personal-boundaries/)
Some of the verses that speak to boundaries: 1 John 4: 1-3, Ephesians 4:13-14, 1 Timothy 4:16, Galatians 1:6-9. One of the reasons why we have boundaries and why it’s up to us to follow them is seen in Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Guard may be the boundary but it is us who do this and the reason is indicated… and it’s not just for some but for all of us. We have the action, the responsibility, the reason. Bottom line is that God’s boundaries are there to help us, to guide us… not to limit us. They are there for safety but they are also there to help us understand who we are, what we can do, and how we should go about it. When you think about boundaries, they are the farthest we should go.
When I get into a rather petulant attitude not unlike a child stomping their foot I remember the story of the fall of man. God gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden with everything they could ever want and only one ‘don’t’
…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)
But Adam and Eve did eat. And I believe that we would have too, or at least the majority of us would have. Some of us for spite – not being told what we can and cannot do, and some because there’s that wonder if what if we did… what would happen.
Before you point out that if we didn’t go beyond boundaries we never would have discovered the cure for polio, or developed the internet, etc. This is NOT the going beyond the boundaries I’m discussing… this is going beyond what we know to create something even better. The thing about boundaries is that I think we know when we’ve gotten to the boundary and that continuing is not the best decision. I also think that we intuitively know it isn’t good for us. But as always… it’s always our decision.
