Margins.
In school, I hated ’em.
Lines? Who needed ’em.
Give me a blank page, let me loose, let me doodle and explore and create without boundaries and constraints.
Boxes? Don’t put me in one, or I’ll bust out, or rebel, or die.
I want to go with my gut,
Ignited by my heart,
propelled by vision and passion and energy.
Amen.
But David, a free spirit like me, a musician more at home in open fields than on golden thrones, said in Psalm 16,
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Ah, right.
God has boundaries for me. Portions. Cups. Lots. Lines. Counsel. Instruction.
What will happen to my free spirit, once I give it over to him?
Will he kill me, kill my creative spark, waste my out-of-the-box thinking and dreaming? Gag.
No.
The opposite is true.
Because you see, my creative eyes are bigger than my stomach.
Left to myself, my own dreams and passions and energies, I’ll burn myself out like a two-minute fireworks display.
If I let the Lord counsel me, instruct me, guide me…
If I keep my eyes on him instead of my visions…
If I accept his boundaries, his lines, his portion-sizes,
My inheritance will be delightful. Full of delight. Joy. Freedom. Fulfillment.
I’ll be truly free to be me, without the lines and boundaries that kill me.
These ones protect me. What I do and make and become will be secure.
I won’t be shaken.
Like I’ve been this week. Don’t get me started. And so…
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Cause I want to defy the evil lines with every fibre of my being… and kiss the good ones on the lips.
Comment below: How are you doing with boundaries and freedom and burnout in your own life?