Updates and Boundaries

UPDATE: With this post I am reaching my weekly goal of posting here at least once a calendar week.  Yeah me!

The writing for 15 minutes a day is not going so well.  I'm procrastinating on my skit.  But I've had several ideas for my blog, which is half the battle there.  I hope to get a chunk done on the skit this weekend as Matthew will be out of town and I seem to be somewhat caught up on my housework so I won't have my To Do List nagging at me.  Nathan and Clinton, however, do remain factors in play...  Boo me!

UPDATE: On another note, yes, I gained a few pounds over the holidays.  Doing okay (not terrific, but respectable) on the exercise but having no motivation on the eating.  But I'm working on it, and Joline and her exemplary eating habits are kicking in my guilt complex.  The self-motivation will follow as soon as I'm done with the self-loathing part.  Boo me!

NEW STUFF:  In addition to the Daily Audio Bible, I listen to the Daily Audio Proverb podcast.  One chapter of Proverbs a day, so all of Proverbs in a month, twelve times a year.  The ultimate book of wisdom.  As you well know, I could definitely use me some wisdom.

Today is the 22nd so we read from Proverbs 22.  Something I heard this morning in verse 28 got me to thinking. (No smarty pants comments on that part, please.  I've heard it all before.)  The Contemporary English Version says, "Do not move a boundary marker set up by your ancestors."   

I've always thought of this verse in the physical, property line way, and it certainly does mean that.  This verse is good advice for maintaining warm fuzzy feelings with your neighbors.  But today it hit me that this verse also applies to boundaries in life.

What I mean here is that the rules haven't changed.  What was right and wrong generations ago, even back to "Bible Times," is still right and wrong today.  Don't move the line, or the law, based on the whim of the moment.

The laws of physics don't change.  The laws of nature don't change.  It's as true today as it was yesterday that if you jump off a cliff you will get hurt.  It doesn't matter if you think you won't get hurt.  It doesn't matter if you think you shouldn't get hurt.  The fact is you WILL get hurt.  Those property lines haven't budged a millimeter since the dawn of time. Truthfully, they are there as much for our protection as for our limitation.

The laws of right and wrong do not change simply based on what we want right and wrong to be.  If you do wrong things you'll pay the consequences.  Just because we don't like where the boundary is placed doesn't mean we have the option of moving it to suit our fancy.  I realize that many things are not black and white, but some things are, and we need to maintain those boundary lines in order to not lose the deed to the property altogether.

On biblegateway.com, the footnote to Proverbs 22:28; reads "In ancient Israel boundary lines were sacred because all property was a gift from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 19.14)."  Time and again in the Old Testament we see the Israelites mess with the spiritual boundaries God gave them until they finally got physically kicked out of the promised land. 

I don't know about you, but I would rather not have to pick up and move out of my promised land any time soon.