The Psalms: A Roadmap to Resilienceনমুনা

Let’s Talk About Boundaries

Yesterday, we talked about resilience and vulnerability. If resilience is about finding center again, then we need to do the hard work of describing the landmarks of our hearts to the One who meets us right where we are with unfailing love and gracious guidance.

Today, we’re talking about boundaries. And not just because it’s popular to talk about. What we believe about our limits and boundaries actually has a direct impact on our resilience.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:5-8 NIV

Notice how David describes his God-given limits—as pleasant, delightful even. Is that anywhere near how you’d describe your limitations?

Resilience is forged by embracing God’s gift of limits and seeing our boundaries as a blessing.

Think about it. If you don’t believe the space carved out for you is good, why bother returning to center when life knocks you off course?

On the other hand, if you operate like the space carved out for you is purposeful, intentional, and genuinely good for you, when you find yourself outside those lines, you work hard to get back.

This brings us back to Day One, because it’s another example of how the ceiling of our capacity to deal with setbacks and screwups is the lies and limiting beliefs we hold about God. Bumping into a boundary has, from the beginning of time, served as a magnifying glass for our deepest held beliefs about God. It’s a moment the enemy has always sought to take advantage of.

In Genesis 3, the serpent, the craftiest of all the creatures, approaches Eve and asks some questions about the boundary line set up by God. Instead of looking at the beautiful space God had carved out for her to cultivate, the paths where she and God walked side by side, and the abundant provision all around her, Eve looked longingly at the tree God had set on the other side of her current boundary line. It was pleasing to the eye, good for food, and desirable to make one wise …

And, the moment she decided that the limits God had set for her were not good, the snake had won.

That snake has been inviting us subtly (or not so subtly) to come to the same conclusion ever since. But, the results speak for themselves. We do not thrive outside of God’s boundary lines. We decay, descend into chaos, and derail our lives from purposeful endeavors. To put it plainly, our lives become toil—a theme that Solomon explores in Ecclesiastes.

An important note: You may feel that way right now because you are in a space that isn’t just hard, it’s truly harmful. God doesn't expect you to remain in that space. In this psalm, the writer describes the holy people, the people pursuing God and His righteousness, as delightful and valuable to him. So, if you're unsure whether you should stay or go in a certain space, talk to these kinds of people—they can help you discern what to do next.

And as you practice discernment, keep in mind that the ultimate deception is that God is out to limit our happiness and therefore He can’t be trusted, when in fact, that flies in the face of a God who created us and the world so that we could enjoy Him forever. Theologian Ignatius of Loyola reflected on this scene with the snake when he said, “Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me is only my deepest happiness.”

What would change about your life if you believed that the boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places because God truly longs for you to live a rich, satisfying life? How would that forge resilience in your heart?

Psalm 16 actually ends with a nod to Jesus, the One who put that deceiving snake in his place by submitting to and trusting the Father:

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:9-11 NLT

Because Jesus was obedient to the point of death and because God did not abandon Him in that place but raised Him back to life, we know the path to life and get to experience the presence of the Lord, in which there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore!

So, when you discover a boundary line, choose to trust that every limit is an expression of God’s love and with resilience, and cultivate the good place He’s carved out for you.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. —Jesus, John 10:10 NLT