The Invisible Line

I recently had to say no to someone I love. It wasn't an unreasonable no--the request exceeded the logistical capacity of the space they were asking to utilize. My instinctive reaction to the disappointment written on someone's face is to soothe; and usually soothing means I overstep my own boundary to rectify the situation.

This time, I held the line. I affirmed my friend's emotions, but I maintained the boundary. Fences aren't just gatekeepers; they're protectors. To be a good steward of all we've been entrusted with, we have to sharpen our discernment to know when, where and how to allocate our resources. Think of it like a faucet. A leaky faucet wastes the precious resource of water indiscriminately. The occasional drip, drip, drip may not seem like much, but imagine the hundreds of tons of water wasted, compounded over time.

Holding a boundary becomes easier when we remember that our resources are God's, not ours. We are simply the managers of time, talents and finances, not the owners. Proverbs 3:9-10 states "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Sow your resources where the Holy Spirit leads you; not where people-pleasing and external pressure try to force you to. When the Spirit leads you to give, it will often be more than you prepared to, yet you will feel peace and fulfillment knowing you are being used as a vessel of God's provision and abundance for another.

-Written by Christy Bradley