I can’t remember the exact day or even time period of my life when it happened. But it was a conviction; a conviction that grew and expanded to infiltrate all of my life.  The conviction? God’s blessings come with boundaries; boundaries for our benefit and his glory.

As Gary and I were climbing out of debt, and dealing with the temptation of using credit, I was slowly convicted. Although we lived fairly simply, our spending was beyond the boundaries of our income. It was probably an answer to some sporadically spoken prayer for contentment and ridding ourselves of materialistic and “what others have” desire. The conviction has stayed for many years now and expanded into all areas of my life.  I realized then, that when we were living outside of our budget, we had made the unconscious decision that God’s blessings were not enough. What a humbling thought. We (I) felt that we (I) slapped God across the face every time I decided I ‘needed’ something that was not in the budget.

According to Dictionary.com, the definition for boundary is something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line.

Every area of our life has boundaries that we are to be living within. There are boundaries for our time, living space, energy, money plus others. We begin living outside of our set boundaries when our jealous eye takes over. We want to be like someone else, with more energy, a different living space, more clothes, etc. When we travel down that path, we become discontented. Discontentment and jealousy lead to more discontentment. And striving to live within someone else’s boundary is not healthy, spiritual or satisfying.

If we can teach ourselves to live within our boundaries, many benefits abound. We will begin to experience gratefulness, contentment, peace, security, and confidence. These benefits far outweigh the negative, so let’s strive to live within our boundaries.

Here as some simple steps of ways to begin living within set boundaries:

1. If something comes in, something must go out. We apply this to our stuff. If we buy something new, what is it replacing? If we are adding a time commitment, what are we giving up? Or is there time in our schedule to give more.

2. Space. In 1980, one of the fastest growing American businesses was storage units. According to an 2005 article in Slate, one in 11 American households rented a storage unit. Why? We like our stuff, and we haven’t learned to live within your space. Take a look around. Do you have too many pencils? Too many books? Kitchen gadgets? Are your clothes overflowing in your closet or dresser? Resolve to live within your space. This week, I began with my bathroom cabinet. Things were piling on top of one another, which in turn caused frustration – I had to dig to find the right hair product, so I am going to live within and use my space wisely. I began using product instead of buying more, and will throw away old things not being used. For example, I had all kinds of hair styling products, so I gave some away, and hit pause on buying more.

3. Energy. I want to be, or want to believe, that I am an energizer bunny. That simply is not true. Consistent eight hours of sleep and exercise is ideal for me to have optimal energy levels the following day. As a result, I need to ‘steward’ my energy levels by taking care of myself in order to take care of others. Certainly, there are other factors that will affect energy levels and the amount of work and/or tasks that can be accomplished. Know, monitor, and live within YOUR needs.

4. Money. We each are given an income based on our abilities, talents and skills. Given my example above, you know I have struggled with this boundary. Do you live within your budget? Do you know the amount you spend every month? Or are you like 70% of Americans you live only paycheck to paycheck? Make a budget. Know how much you make, and how much you spend. If you aren’t currently living within the boundaries of your income, make a plan. Need help? Unsure how? Contact me.

5. Time and Tasks.  Each of us is given a different set of tasks to accomplish within our lifetime, years, months, weeks, days and hours. Our energy level dictates what can be accomplished within a given time period, yet we either don’t always use our time wisely or we over-commit. Just like our money, we need to be good stewards of our time. Know what you can and can’t do. Begin by creating a template of your ideal week. Assign a time slot to given tasks, work, time with family, etc. how does it look? Do you need to make some adjustments? An example of this is Michael Hyatt’s ideal week. He has plugged in his important relationships plus responsibilities. Looking at allotted time and responsibilities, helps me live within my boundary for time and tasks.

Are you reaping the benefits of living within your given boundaries? For most of us, this is an ongoing work in progress. Start small by applying one or two of these ideas. Pray for guidance and His revelation of where to start. Living within your God-given boundaries is a time-saver, yet more importantly provides peace and margin.  Where will you begin? Please share.

For the love of family, live within your boundaries,

Kristin