New Fences
The barn has a roof again and so does our home. The concrete floor has been poured for the new storage shed and most of the yard is clean. It has been a long wait to see progress, five months and counting. Others still wait for reconstruction. One relative told us he couldn’t get a new barn for five or six more weeks. Many closer to the coast are just getting settled in FEMA trailers and have up to a year to get new lodging. The roads are still clogged with builders, building supplies and workers. Flag men hold up traffic on roads in all directions as the fields and damaged timber are cleared for fire prevention. Here on the farm, the last chore is fencing.
My husband, my oldest son and a nephew began a month ago in the westernmost pasture and today they reached the corners of the front yard. What a monumental effort! They cleaned up limbs, cleared brush and removed old posts. They rewound old barb wire. Then the corner posts had to be reset. They are the thickness of utility poles and had to be braced carefully as the foundations for the rest of the fence supports. Then the new webbed wire is stretched to fit the posts and nailed in place. It is a great improvement. No more baby calves slipping through the loose bottom strands of the old fence. We will have to replace all of the boundaries eventually. And it will be stronger.
There are spiritual parallels in setting boundaries. When we renew our boundaries with the Lord by seeking His fellowship, we personally determine the lines we cannot cross and please God. We solidify our testimony with daily choices that eventually become a lifestyle and a life time. I’m convinced from my view from the sixth decade of my life that each Christian makes these choices as an individual but always with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We tell the enemy of our soul,” No, I won’t go there in conversation. No, I won’t compromise my integrity in a work situation. Yes, I will honor my marriage vows. No, I won’t let that information slip from my mouth because it would be hurtful. Yes, I will study the Word, not indulge in questionable reading. Yes, I will change channels when the language/subject is offensive. Yes, I will praise God in all my circumstances. No, I will not indulge in self-pity.”
I build the boundaries of my life with the Word. “ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11 NIV). “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NIV). “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV). “The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. Instead of doing those things, these persons love the Lord’s instruction, and they recite God’s instruction day and night” (Psalm 1:1,2 CEB). There is so much to work with in the Word and apply. It is a conscious choice. It is never a finished process.
Lord, I need to reset the margins and boundaries. I want to be holy like you. I want to be found pleasing in your sight.
Yes, having His Word in our hearts gives us the weapon to fight against the enemy.
Yes the Word of God will help us to know what our boundaries are and have the strength to keep it intact. Good Word today!
Ah, yes. Boundaries are critical. We have to be deliberate about what we let in, and what we keep out.
I am picturing your piece of land as I look out at apartment buildings here in Jersey City, and wishing I could hear a cow “moo” or a horse “neigh”!