Any restaurant that serves southern grits is a favorite with my husband. He was enjoying his grits and we were both enjoying the company of our friends, Jan and Chuck. Having talked for awhile after breakfast, Jan and I did the typical female thing, and excused ourselves to go to the restroom. We were still chatting when we opened the door of the restroom, and we were a bit startled by what greeted us. I’m not quite sure why the big yellow "caution" sign was there, but the two toilets were staring at us, looking fully functional, but without any privacy walls. I managed to stammer, "Uhhh ... you go first and I’ll wait outside." The restroom was obviously designed as a "two-sie," but in the moment, it functioned best as a "one-sie." And, as two friends who knew each other in many ways on an intimate basis, our personal boundaries would not allow "that kind" of intimacy.

 

Healthy relationships do have boundaries that allow us to interrelate, while still maintaining some degree of autonomy. God too has boundaries for us that help to define the dimensions of the Christian life. We can legalistically impose boundaries on our behaviors or the behaviors of others, but those are not necessarily the boundaries God has put in place. However, God does have guidelines for our lives that help us to know what is good for us and what is not. There are many clear instructions in God’s Word and there are many times God speaks to the quietness of the individual heart and gives guidance to us in areas that may not be directly addressed in His Word. An awareness of those boundaries is the beginning of living lives that both nurture and grow us well as believers and that also allow us to honor and serve God in wholehearted ways. Freedom, fulfillment, joy, and a sense of satisfaction come too as we are mindful of God’s boundaries and reach for the unique individual potential He has for us.

 

I remember some of the conversations we had as parents with our growing young people. We wanted our sons to realize that the boundaries God gives to us are not restrictive unless we continually fight against them. We may not always aptly communicate or apply God’s boundaries with our children, but as both children and adults, true maturity will come as we determine and follow what God has for us.