Borders

The Lord brought an incredible picture to mind this week about the significance of borders/boundaries.

In early June I set the stakes and put up fencing around my entire garden. I established a border of nearly 400 ft of deer netting, 7-ft tall on 10-ft stakes, intended to keep the deer from my plants. Yet, every few days throughout the summer I've been out there repairing the fence. Winds have torn down sections of it. And deer have apparently knocked down other sections. In some cases it seems I just did a poor job of tying it up, and I find it sagging and penetrable. It's been a constant effort to reinforce the border.

As long as the fencing stays in place, my garden is safe. And yet with every intrusion, I lose something. Corn torn from the stalk, tomatoes nibbled off the vine, lettuce trimmed to the ground -- not to mention the damage to the fence. Frustrating! And so I go about repairing.

In similar ways, the Lord has established boundaries for our lives. Relational. Spiritual. Financial. The borders are for our safety and well-being. We experience joy and freedom when the borders are where they should be. And yet, the winds of life and the enemy of our souls push in on those boundaries to disrupt and to steal. Sometimes it's even our own lack of attention that allows the gap.

What I know is that it's up to me to reinforce the borders. It's up to me to repair the breaches and be watchful of any intrusion. Sometimes it's tiring, and I'm tempted to let it go. However, peace and safety come only when I'm safe within the borders.

"He grants peace to your borders..." Psalm 147:14