“He makes peace in your borders . . .” (Psalm 147:14, New American Bible, 1995).”

Have you noticed how many sayings we have about borders, boundaries, and related concepts?

“That’s your problem, not mine!”

“You’re not respecting my boundaries!”

“There is a line I will not cross.”

“He/she/I is/am pushing the boundaries.”
And so on!

We all want other people to respect our boundaries.  Whole books have been written about this issue.  That’s good!  It is important that people respect our boundaries.  I suspect that books which tell us how to respect the boundaries of others are less popular.  I also suspect that less popular equals more needed.

But perhaps the most important topic is being at peace with our own boundaries.  I’m not sure I’ve seen lots of books written on that topic.

Psalm 147:14^a literally says, “He [that is, God] makes your borders peace.”

This is a very terse verse, and can be translated and understood in a number of different ways.  I’m not going to tell you which translation or interpretation is best.  The truth is, I don’t know.

At a very literal level, it could be taken as referring to the territory of ancient Israel.  Trouble often occurs at the borders of any nation.  Nations disagree about where the boundaries were, are, or should be, as well as how (and how strictly) to maintain those boundaries.

Of course, at the micro-level this is also a common dynamic.  At work, people disagree as to what is and is not their responsibility.  In marriage, the same thing can be observed.  In divorce, these border skirmishes become all-out war.

However, whatever the verse is saying, I will tell you what I heard when I read it this morning.  I heard God saying to me that I need to be at peace with my own boundaries.  I have always had trouble with this.

When I was a very little person, Mom would let me go out to the yard, and would tell me to stay in the yard.  I would—for a few minutes.  But soon, the pastures outside the fence would call, and I would be off the races.  So would my mom and older sister, who ran themselves ragged trying to keep up with my short (but swift) legs.  Perhaps boundaries never come easily to small children.

What I would like to tell you is that I have gotten better with boundaries over the years.  However, that would be a lie.  I am not at peace with my own boundaries.  This means, basically, that I am not at peace at all.

Do I believe that God has established and will protect my boundaries?  If I do, I should be at peace with those boundaries.

What are my specific boundaries?  My age, my physical health, my marital status, my skills, my interests, my work—all these and many more constitute my boundaries.  There are times for expanding some of them, but many of them simply need to be recognized and respected.

From one angle, the Serenity Prayer is a prayer about boundaries: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change [i.e., the firm boundaries], the courage the things I can [i.e., the boundaries which can and should be expanded], and the wisdom to know the difference [i.e., knowing which boundaries must be firm, and which ones I need to expand].”

Only when I am at peace with my own boundaries and limitations will I have peace at all.

As that great 20^th century philosopher, Clint Eastwood, said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”