Knowing the Limits by Larry Refsland
Salespeople, entrepreneurs, and pilots are all familiar with the term “stretching the envelope”. Pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities can be a good way to enhance your skill and increase your income. There is a difference, however, between stretching the envelope and straying outside the envelope altogether. Most everyone has tried to see how far he or she could go before something negative happened. A child will test the limits of his or her parents’ rules. An athlete may try performance enhancement drugs. Anyone with a car has tested the extent of the speed limit at some time. The problem is, it’s sometimes hard to tell if you’re stretching your ability or testing your luck. We all know someone who has suffered an unhappy ending when luck ran out. A study several years ago demonstrated the value of clearly defined boundaries. Two elementary school playgrounds were used to test children’s behavior with or without known boundaries. One playground had no fence, while the other playground was entirely fenced. Researchers observed the children in the fenced playground actually used more of the area and enjoyed themselves within the safe boundaries established for them more than the children in the unfenced playground. Boundaries are designed to keep bad things away from us, as well as to prevent us from straying too far from safety. God has established boundaries so that we can enjoy life more fully. He wants us to experience all the good in life without the harmful consequences that inevitably happen outside of those limits. He loves you enough to offer you his protection so you can be all he wants you to be. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2016
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