Don’t Fence Me In! … Hello weekend readers. I read an interesting thought about constraints and infinite possibilities from a favorite pastor, blogger and world-wide faith communicator, Carey Nieuwhof. I’ve been a subscriber of his for many years and have always enjoyed his perspective about ministry and living life through it. So, this weekend musing is all about fencing us in…her we go!

In our world today we have possibilities everywhere—far beyond what we could imagine. Watching CBS 60 Minutes the other night as they delved into AI at Google and other places, presented so many possibilities yet trying to reign in or constrain AI was both “a new wonder” and a “dangerous precedent” all at the same time. Where are the limits?

Do you like limits? When we’re younger it’s about the worse thing. Curfews, dating, taking adventures into trying alcohol/drugs, getting your homework done, etc. Don’t fence me in, right?! I want a wide-open path to explore and do what I want to do instead of constraints. Even as we age, we still push boundaries as we seek for infinite possibilities. In Carey’s blog, he shared something from a musician I like—Ed Sheeran. Sheeran had just won his court case accusation that he plagiarized another person’s music. His reaction to this was very interesting. He said “There are 22 million songs a year being released on Spotify, and there are only 12 notes available.” I immediately resonated with this because I’m a life-long musician and his words are true. You get 12 notes—period. It is what you do with those 12 notes that makes all the difference. He went on to say “Every song you’ve ever heard or loved – from Beethoven and B.B. King to the Beastie Boys and Beyonce – was created using the same 12 notes.” By this time, I had a good laugh. He’s right, music has constraints!

Is freedom a myth then? Carey went on to say “You and I are constrained by our need for oxygen, the law of gravity, and the limits of needing food, sleep, and our inability to be in two places at once.” As you think about this blog, what does it mean to you? His words are right, we do have limitations, we do have constraints, and it is all because God wants us to have a life filled with what is good for us and not dangerous for us. Our freedom is a myth, our freedom in God is NOT a myth, it is true and keeps us out of trouble.

This reminds me of my younger sister who, unlike us, had not gone through swimming lessons. She saw us diving off the pier and decided she was going to do this anyway. I just happened to be outside and saw her jump in. I ran so hard I thought I would tumble off the pier. I couldn’t find her, but then I saw the bubbles. She was on the bottom of the lake and had no idea what to do. I knew what to do and it took me 3 seconds to dive in there and get her to the surface. Dad saw it and came down and helped me get her out of the water. For many days all I could think of was how she could have drowned.

God gives us limits and we need to look at them differently. I like a thought from Christian Living magazine that says ‘Limitations are our GIFT from God.’  I thought about that and it makes sense in so many ways. Psalm 121:5-8 [NLT] says: “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” What a gift we have with God’s limitations for us! The problem is, how long will it take us to believe that? King David had much to learn about constraints. In Psalm 16:6 [ESV] he admits: “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” God’s gift of boundaries gives us that inheritance, there is no other way we can get that!

Let’s go back to Ed Sheeran’s words about music’s 12 notes. Think of the music you love and think about how 12 simple notes made something incredibly beautiful. God knows what he is doing for us. It’s time we embrace the constraints and limitations, and accept them as powerful gifts. In closing, I’m using Carey’s words—something we should really think about: “After all, we only have 12 notes, what song will you play today?” AMEN.