boundary lines in pleasant places ...

On Sunday the pastor said that God uses two things to bring us closer to Him - beauty and pain. My mind tried and tried to add more to the list. I think I had another thought trying to intrude because I want to be drawn closer to God through beauty than pain. I think I was trying to get out of the pain part but there is no way, is there? Then yesturday I was listening to Elizabeth Elliott and the topic was about pain AGAIN and accepting God's portion and cup for us. Ok - when topics repeat in my life, I know I better listen...

To stuff it down into a bite size piece, you must suffer, bear the cross, receive pain in your life to really know Christ. He ultimately took on the cross. At what price? A price toooooo much? Yikes! As she continued on I wrote out my pain and how this 'suffering' is allowing me to know God.

To be single, to wait and wait, to feel unseen, unwanted, and not enough all the while wanting to be connected to another in marriage is to know God as my Husbandman, as my Great Keeper, as my Hiding Place, as my Refuge, as my Protector and Great Lover, as the Burly Big ARms wrapped around me letting me know that I am seen, kept, and delighted over... Wow!

Then she used this verse!

Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalms 16:5&6

Submit to the portion and the cup given to you and you will feel secure. He is the Great Keeper and He knows me because He created everything about me. He sees the future and without Him I have no good thing... (ps16:2)

He surely knows that I would not handle being alone with someone than being single and alone... Yup, I do love my boundaries ... secure and pleasant....