Draw the Line

"Know the difference between the limits that withhold you and the limits that are crucial for you to obey. Draw your lines accordingly. Live your life around them."

This is an excerpt from an article I read this morning called "18 Things Every Person Must Do In Their Lifetime".

Sometimes it's hard for me to see the line between extending grace and trusting foolishly.
Sometimes I can't tell when I need to cut off relationships instead of overlooking bad influences.
Sometimes I don't know when I'm being taken advantage of and when I'm just being nice.

The thing that really gets me is that the things that distract or confuse me aren't really BAD things! When I was married, I stopped going to church because he didn't want to go. I would stay home and make him breakfast, clean the house and try to make him as happy as possible. A wife making her husband breakfast, cleaning the house and trying to make him happy are not bad things at all. But when making him happy became my goal and my validation instead of seeking God and glorifying Him, it became a bad thing with good intentions.

Just this year, I have been completely enlightened of the false humility that I was taught for so many years. I know now that I don't have to shrink in the back and voice that I'm not good at anything or that I deserve the things that happened in my life. I don't have to believe that God gave me a crappy set of cards that I have to make the best out of. I am a child of the King destined for great and powerful things. Why would He commission me for rescuing the lost and equipping and encouraging fellow sisters and brothers if He was not going to give me everything that I needed to complete the mission? That is pure craziness!

It has become a lot easier to push aside the things that are bad for me now that I finally take pride in myself. I can say no to negativity because I don't deserve it. I can take a crazy leap of faith without fear of rejection or judgment because I know that the God of angel armies is by my side. I don't have to shy back from raising my hands, doing a little dance or jumping up and down when praising Him. I am free to dance, to run, to jump, to shout, to cry, to laugh and to praise however I please because HE is the one I am glorifying and praising. Even if I look a little funny or "eccentric". I can't help it. I feel the beat, I hear the voices being raised of praising my great God and I can't help but move and raise my hands!

Do I still struggle with not knowing the boundaries of certain conversations? Of course! Do I create obstacles for myself sometimes? Unfortunately, yes.

When I was married, I stayed home and did those things because I didn't treasure my priorities. I had made my him my idol. I had made him my source of happiness which was not fair to him or to me. There is no way he could provide me with what I needed and there is no way that I alone could ever really make him happy. I didn't see that a line had been crossed because I didn't value my priorities, my time or my anointing. And it's hard to value those things when I wasn't seeking God fervently as I should have!

Yes, it is important to be able to recognize when the line has been crossed. But how will you ever know when the line is crossed if you don't value yourself enough to DRAW the line in the first place? I didn't value myself, my time, or my anointing enough to draw a line to be able to stand up for myself. Now in this situation, there was fault on both sides, but I am only in control of me and my decisions. I use this as an example because it was the best that I could relate to. For others it might be their job, their siblings, their friends, their children, their church, etc.

I think in order to successfully accomplish the charge from the article above, we first have to claim our right as cherished, chosen, masterfully created and dearly loved children. Only then will we be able to distinguish when we are being taken advantage of. It is only then that we can draw the lines and truly succeed.

Be beautiful. Be you. Be cherished. Cling to the promises that are meant for YOU, for ME, for US.