“What if one thought held the power to interrupt our spirals
and bring peace to our mental chaos?”

Jenny Allen in Stuck, p. 37

“When we think new thoughts:
we physically alter our brains,
we make healthier neural connections,
we blaze new trails,
everything changes for us.

Dr. Dan Silgel

At first glance, the dry panorama of Egypt may strike one as “just” dry desert barrenness but for the Nile River that is nearby, mightily altering the heritage and attributes of the Fertile Crescent. And that is what it is called: a fertile region. Similarly, the soil of our spirits can be transformed under the right conditions, even as for the blind man Jesus healed with mud so he could see! (Such a messy way to do it, though, is it not?)

The unique feature at our midwestern landscape this year wasn’t quite as grass-green luscious, nor could it show a profusion of fertility. Indeed, the snowmelt and spring rains wreaked havoc due to a fall excavation project, causing our landscape to be a muddy mess that did not stay contained, but rather seeped into caked layers all over our driveway. Admittedly, the mud did not improve my eyesight, and I remained blind to the lessons it had to offer me.

It really made me feel crazy trying to keep the mud contained. So. Much. Rain. And not just gentle rains but a driving hop-in-your-car-for-a-free-power-wash kind of rain.

I know:  First World problems.

It is a strange dichotomy when it comes to boundaries. Aptly placed, they bring organic harmony to a landscape, much as they can provide safety and security in relationships; without them, things can turn into a muddy mess. God, himself, put an actual boundary around the sea during creation. The unknown sea, full of mystery and danger, was symbolic of chaos. Given that, the boundary for the sea was a barrier of sand placed by God that the chaos was not allowed to cross.

“I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.”

Jeremiah 5:22

I used to equate emotional/relational boundaries to something like a restraining order:  I hereby prohibit said person who has caused hurt in my life from carrying out any more hurtful actions toward me.

The problem with this definition is that I have no more locus of control over other people’s opinions or actions than they should responsibly have over mine. An emotional boundary isn’t set in place to keep the other person “in line” or behaving in a prescribed manner; rather, the boundary is me giving myself permission to not give another access to my soul. It is recognizing that I am responsible for “monitoring my inner world” and must have “personal boundaries in place for discerning and interacting with people who speak from a place of negativity…I will not give them access to my life.  I am the only one who is responsible for keeping my heart free from doubt and judgment” (Bill Johnson, Strengthen Yourself in the Lord, p.125).

“Adam and Eve had great access to God and the garden. And they had a great responsibility that came along with that access” (Lysa Terkeurst, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, p.43). Even their access to God was restricted once they abused their responsibility.

Thinking about our introductory quotes, is it possible that one boundary could hold the power to interrupt the spiral of my mental chaos? Is it possible that planting an emotional row of beautiful flowers could help me blaze a new path for myself? Then, I apply the words of the psalmist and Chris Tomlin’s song and pray them over my life with thanksgiving, filled up:

“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.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me…You make known to me the path of life; you will fbill me with joy in your presence…”

Psalm 16:5-11