Boundaries
Posted in Daily Focus on Friday, April 4, 2014
"For thou hast been a shelter for me" (Psalm 61:3a).
Growing up in the country, my children spent just as much time outside as inside when homeschooling. For their safety and my sanity, we established an invisible boundary around our farm where they could play and explore without my supervision. Expanding upon this concept, we decided to apply this same principle when visiting Grandpa and Grandma's lake home. Since my four-year-old son was still learning how to swim, his boundary had been set within the beach area only. After one reminder, we let him play in the sand, while we continued to observe him from my in-laws' porch only a few feet away.
However, as every parent knows, children are notorious for testing boundaries. Seeing his older brother and sisters enjoy the water slide attached to the dock, he couldn't resist going out to join them. Each time he started down the dock, we yelled out his name and firmly said, "No!" Frustrated, he waited several minutes before he tried once more. This time, I said to my husband, "Wait, let's not do or say anything and see what he does." Agreeing, we watched as our son approached the spot on the dock where we had told him "no." Expecting us to tell him "no" again, he stopped, turned, and said, "What?" before we could do or say a thing. Laughing inside, we saw that even a four year old is capable of knowing his boundaries and disciplining himself to observe them.
God gives adults boundaries, too. He knows our sinful nature and has given us loving guidelines to keep us safe from evil. As Christian homeschooling parents, we have an even higher need to discipline ourselves from Satan's tantalizing tidbits. However, keeping ourselves pure from sexual sins, greed, jealousy, and other sins is getting more difficult. The world continues to move the boundaries to remove their guilt for participating in these activities. What about you? Will you observe God's boundaries and stop, turn, and say, "What will you have me do, Lord?"
Father, You are a holy God who hates sin. Thank You for giving me such wonderful blessings within the confines of Your loving law. Help me to understand Your boundaries are a good thing and not resent the disciplines necessary for following You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Comments(6 comments)
MARY JO C 04/04/2012 05:13:48
Boundaries are just as important for our children as they are for us adults. My teenage daughter is moved into a different set of boundaries but with faith and trust I know she will do right. Will they be some mistakes along the way? I\'m sure but with God as the focus we can make it. Thank you Lord for giving me boundaries.
CHRISTY W 04/04/2012 06:21:48
Boundaries.....Our precious Lord has placed in me the desire to be mindful of what I call entertainment, to be modest in dress and actively seeking the Will of Christ. I ask the question WWJD in everything I do and say (yes I still use it hee-hee) because He is always with us, yearning for us to do His Will. I know that our life is under a microscope when it comes to our children, therefore I make my struggles known to my children so that they can see that mommy has boundaries too and she does NOT cross them; all for the glory of our Father in Heaven.
Teacher Momma
www.branyact.blogspot.com
KATHY S 04/04/2012 07:42:28
We definatley need boundaries. And the Author is correct in saying that our world has \"stretched\" our normal bounaries.
In my opinion,they have been stretched so far out of whack, that our youth is suffering, adults too.
Thankfully as Christians, we have our bounarieds in the ten commandments. And we as parents must teach those commandments to our precious children.
I revert back to stories of my Mothers teenage years back in the 1950\'s.
Things that the teenage children do now, were not done back then, some of them not all, some of the things were either hidden or done more at the age of 18, in leiu of the age of 12 or 13.
At this time in our world, Alot of the school Children use language that makes me cringe. they wear outfits to school that should not be worn outside of their own homes, or at all.
Drugs are being sold at schools, guns and knives are being brought to school by small children. Where are their parents? Where are the boundaries?
When we homeschool our children, we set boundaries up without even thinking, even just the fact that we are not exposing our children to further worldy sin, is in itself a boundary.
When my son hears stories of his Grandmothers childhood, he wishes that he lived back in that day and age, and I can hardly blame him for that desire.
Even when I was young, things were not as nice, or as safe in the 1950\'s, but surely, they were better than things that are wide out in the open for all to see in our time now.
I often relay to my son, that I feel that Jesus must just look down at some of our society, and weep. Weep that so many do not follow him, follow his commandments, and even just our manmade laws that our Government has made.
I wonder when it is that God will decide that enough is enough and come and take his children home with him.
In the meantime, we as his children, must try and protect and teach our children, do the best we can to mindful of our own sins whatever they may be, and when we do sin, ask for forgiveness, and try and do better.
Have a Blessed day ! :)
JANET P 04/04/2012 10:58:39
Wow! This is an amazing message. I need to read this every day & be reminded. The verse 2 Timothy 3:4 has been \"in my path\" lately - about being \"lovers of pleasure\" rather than \"lovers of God.\" This is a spiritual battle for me as I work to provide our children with rich days in the Lord. Thank you for the reminder. I pray I will look to God for the joys & boundaries he offers out of love. Thank you so much for this precious word.
Janet
TABITHA J 04/04/2012 21:05:53
During Bible study at church today, I mentioned that parents are not setting boundaries for their children, acting more like a buddy than a parent, causing many children to be disrespectful to their parents.
MYISHA COOPER 04/04/2013 21:21:18
Myisha C
I explained to my 15 year old daughter about fences. I told her that fences has to be put up to keep the bad things out and the good things in. Parents love their children when they put up fences. Thank you!