Fine Lines: Not My Thing

I’ve shared a lot in the past about the thin lines between things – the blurry ones – the ones that once you are saddled in-between (on top of and riding the “line”) you are in danger of staying there and remaining paralyzed. Or worse yet – you find you are crossing over the line, and that you are now on the wrong side of it – in the wrong place. Or maybe you are supposed to get on the other side of the line – and some type of obstacle (usually fear based) is stopping you.

So you try to join the circus for a while.  But then you realize you were never meant to be a clown.

These are the lines upon which one feels they are playing a dangerous game with a tightrope. Even if someone seems proficient at tightrope walking, it is pretty much inevitable that taking a fall is in the near future for them. It’s part of the game – the in-between game, yo.

And I have to tell you………when it comes to me, I am definitely not cut out for it!

• This girl has no balance.
• This girl has no rhythm for dancing upon a tightrope.
• This girl does not like fine lines.

I like to know my boundaries, and I like to know them well. I prefer for them to be drawn thick and clear – these are the kind of lines you can see for miles and miles. You don’t need glasses or vision enhancers to spot them.

In fact, I don’t even mind so much (most of the time) if the wrong side of the lines are even blocked off  completely. This makes it easy to see the places to which I should not venture.

That keeps me feeling safe and secure.

That makes my little world seem like there’s a semblance of control surrounding it.

That is an illusion – but one that I seem to like – a lot.

So sad.

Here are some of the blurry and fine little lines that keep showing up on a regular basis in my own little life:

• The line between full blown obedience and just a little bit of sinning.
• The line between real love and just….affection.
• The line between true joy and happiness.
• The line between dependence upon God and crossing over to dependence upon self or other people.
• The line between chronic illness and just plain – laziness
• The line between surrender and giving up and throwing in the towel.

I could go on and on and compile a list of blurry lines that would make your heads spin. I bet you could too!

Isn’t it funny? I love black and I love white. But I do like gray as well – when it comes to my fashion choices. And if I am honest – it seems that much of the time I choose to walk in the gray areas of life to perpetuate the illusions that are counterfeits of the real thing.

Gray is neutral. But so is black and white.

The two latter ones are much more crisp, if  you ask me.

The gray is just – comfortable, man. It fades some into the background – helps one go unnoticed. It doesn’t take your eye off the ball – all that is glitter and shiny around it stands out.

That can be dangerous. Thinking you are in a neutral space seems to make one feel like they are safe somehow. But if we aren’t careful, the gray seeps into our hearts.

• We don’t want to neutralize our hearts.
• We don’t want to darken our hearts.
• We don’t want to confuse our minds.

Or do we?

Yep – I can say without question that most of the time, I recognize it when there’s a fine line, albeit a blurry one, that is taunting me. I have to ask the Lord during those times (every day) to help me see clearly. The only way to do that is to take our eyes off the lines and look up – to Him.

• He makes all things clear.
• He is unchanging.
• He is the One who is safe – the Only One.

He understands the black and the white and He understands all the confusion and gray in-between.

He makes all things new! Even the gray stuff, friends.

Do you have a fine line upon which you feel you are teetering, my friend? What are the blurry lines you find yourself trying to navigate right now in your own life? Do you find that you feel safe and comfortable there – in the in-between place? Or do you find that you recognize the blurry for what it really is and you are seeking God’s face and His clarity, safety, and power to stay on the right side of the line? Is there a line over which He does want you to cross? Or is everything around you trying to force you to think you need to take just – one. more. step. ?

Ask Him.

Ask Him for wisdom and discernment, dear friends.

We all have to do it sometimes. He is here for us – just waiting. He knows fine lines really aren’t meant to be our thing.

And Jesus?

Jesus never promised it would be easy for us. But all of His promises and gifts He has in store for us are well worth it – even as we walk this crazy tightrope in life that we are dealing with daily.

We have to walk it with Him. Correction: We GET to walk it with Him!

Heaven won’t be a dangerous circus full of tightropes, dear friends. Heaven will be a place of joy and peace and beauty – never gray –  all light and bright and beautiful.

• We won’t be confused.
• We won’t be anxious.
• We won’t feel crippled and perplexed.

I don’t know about you – but this girl can say with absolute certainty that THAT IS my thing.

Jesus gave it to me.

Jesus is my everything.

And He has drawn a line in the sand – it is a firm one. It is a clear one.

• It is not blurry.
• It is not fine.
• It is only dangerous if we don’t pick the right side.

I’m so grateful to be on His side of that line!  Aren’t you?

We will always grapple with this blurry stuff in life until we go home to live with Jesus for all eternity. It is part of the war between the flesh and our submission to the One who has saved us. But Jesus is here for us to guide us and to lead us. He has good things in store for us if only we follow after Him with all our heart, mind and soul!

He will pull us over to the right side if we seek after Him and ask Him.

He will save us from the dangers of tightrope walking.

We are not clowns. We are His children. We are royalty.

Just reach out your hand today if you feel yourself teetering. Ask Him to grab it and pull  you back to His loving and safe arms. Then listen – carefully.

He will do it.

You may be on a new tightrope tomorrow – but He will be there for you then as well.

If you haven’t already, won’t you make following fully after Jesus YOUR thing, dear friend?

Say Yes. Make Jesus your EVERY thing. And let Him show you the way.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

 

 

 

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