Monday, June 20, 2011

Boundary Lines in Pleasant Places

I saw a friend on Saturday, a pastor I've known for a long time who has struggled with health issues over the past several years.  I asked him about his health and he replied that it has been a  problem but he has not been undone by it.  And then he told me about Psalm 16:6:  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

"As I read this the other day," he said, "I saw it in a new light.  We go through seasons in our lives, and boundaries get drawn around us during each season.  We may not like the boundaries, we feel constrained by them.  But it's where we are right now.  I wonder how many of us can see the place where we are as a pleasant place?"

After all, the boundary lines don't fall from the sky willy nilly.  The Lord, who directs our steps, is the One who establishes them.  He knows us, where we are, what we need.  Can we rest in Him, no matter where our boundaries are, and rejoice?

There's a lot going on in my world just now that needs sorting.  When we accept our situations as "pleasant," we no longer have to live with discontent.  Nor do we have to struggle with the things that need sorting out in our lives.  According to Pastor Pat, it's God's job to sort them out; it's our job to rest.  As I learn more and more to live this way, I'm finding it to be very pleasant indeed.  Surely I have a delightful inheritance!

1 comment:

Joan Husby said...

This has always been a favorite verse but you've made me think about boundaries in a different way. Thanks!

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