I’m really enjoying the Taste For Truth class. God is working some pretty cool stuff and it is my prayer He will continue to do so. During one of our recent posts, a gal mentioned she needs to stop looking for the next thing to fix her food issues and stick with the boundaries God has already laid on her heart.

We are often tempted to believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence… or, in this case, within someone else’s set of boundaries.

What we end up creating for ourselves is an uncomfortable situation. Either the boundaries will be too strict for us, or they will be too loose. Either way, they are a fit for that other person, but are wrong in our case.

When God gives me a set of boundaries, He does so with my best interest at heart. After reading the group member’s post, I heard The Lord is my Shephard during a walk and I realized, we’re missing the fact that our pastures are quite green when we walk within our boundaries.

Psalm 23

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

This hardly sounds like a place we should like to leave. And yet, when the boundaries seem difficult to keep (walking through the “valley of the shadow of chocolate” for example), we peer longingly over the fence and think, “Wow, her boundaries are working so well for her… maybe I’ve got the wrong boundaries.”

So, we squeeze under and try to live within a boundary God designed with someone else in mind. Soon, we are frustrated and looking over the fence yet again.

News Flash: Boundaries are not easy. If I struggle in this area, there is no set of boundaries which will allow me to live with reckless abandon when it comes to food. Boundaries require me to make sacrifices in order to keep them, but those sacrifices are always for my own good… if I’ve allowed God to choose them.

Yes, there will be correction (His rod), but there will also be guidance (His staff). With the right attitude, these boundaries actually become comforting.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, there is greener grass… but it’s right where we’re already standing when we walk with the Lord.