Sledge hammer on his shoulder, and a smile on his face, he is making his way to the pasture. Daylight is slipping behind the trees, casting those long, lovely shadows over most of the field. Sunlight peeks over the easternmost side of our seven acres, and the winter wind blows against us as we walk through the gate to the barn.
He must make the most of what little daylight he has left. And there are boundaries to be set.
The cows grunt their impatience. It is feeding time, and they will not wait. Their focus is on one thing, one moment of their day: feeding time. They stand, in impatient ignorance waiting for him to fill their feed buckets with grain. Completely unaware that he is here for another reason.
The Professor, he is also a farmer. And a rancher. I was the one who wanted cows. He is the one who fell in love with ranching. He takes so much pride in caring for our land, for our cows.
For the past week he’s spent his free time building fences, setting boundaries on our little piece of land. The fences serve one primary purpose: to section off our land into three smaller pastures. When spring arrives, bringing with it new life…new growth, the cows will graze in one section of land, while the other two sections grow thick, nutrient-dense grass.
The fence that surrounds our little spot of earth – it serves once primary purpose as well. It keeps the cows and our little farm pup on our land, where they are completely safe. The road we live on, though not terribly busy, boasts a very fast speed limit. If one of our animals found their way into the road, it would be dangerous.
I have no doubt that animals have a will…to some extent, anyway. And they are stubborn. The grass is always greener… there’s some truth to it, or so our animals seem to think. They don’t appreciate the boundaries The Professor has worked so hard to set up. In fact, we had to install an electric fence for Cody, because he wanted to push his way past the boundaries, through the fence – to freedom. Now he wears an ugly, cumbersome collar that warns him if he gets too close to the boundary line.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m as unaware of the purpose of boundaries that God has placed in my life as our cows are of theirs. Am I as stubborn to push past the boundaries, entering dangerous territory, as Cody is?
Boundaries protect us.
Boundaries serve a sometimes unseen purpose.
Boundaries are established for our good.
And yet…I fight them. Because I am often only focused on the here and now.
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Thanks for offering the link up. Your comments box is totally blacked out so I can’t see what I’m typing….hope it comes out ok!
Mrs. Sarah Colller
I checked on that this morning and it was completely blacked out! I have no idea why, but it’s fixed now.
Thanks Sarah!
OKay, now it’s wonky again. Not sure what’s going on!
Cody is so stinking cute. Reminds me of a lab we had growing up.
We got SO lucky when Cody came into our lives. He’s our little treasure!
Very good post. I have that conversation all the time with my older kids…rules have a reason!
Thanks Josie! It’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it? At least it is for me!
I love the photos of the cows:) I heard boundaries explained once to be like a car driving over an area that has a steep cliff. The boundaries are there for protection. But sometimes we just want past the boundaries. But what happens to that car if it crashes through it’s boundries?? Good stuff to think about.
Also, the comment area is black for me. Not sure if you did that on purpose. It’s very hard for me to see what I am typing (looks like dark grey against black).
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Candace. Sorry about the black/grey comment problem. It was all wonky for a couple of days, but is back to normal now!
This is so true of my life too. I am so focused on what I want or my ideas, that I don’t want to listen to the Lord. But He has the far bigger perspective, and so we need to trust that He truly does know what’s best. This is a good reminder to be of why I need to obey Him. Thanks!
It is SO hard for me to wait on the Lord’s perspective. I think I get a big head sometimes and feel like I’ve suddenly been given His perspective on something. And then, of course, I fall on my face and look ridiculous. But He is SO gracious, isn’t He? And His perspective is perfect.
So beautifully written…thank you for sharing.
Oh, what a great object lesson! Thanks for the encouragement/reminder/challenge!
Been thinking about boundaries a lot lately. A much appreciated read!