Boundaries and Freedom

Ever heard of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs? It was a theory created by sociologist Abraham Maslow. He contended that every human has the same needs -- for food/shelter, love, purpose, etc. He arranges those needs in a triangle structure beginning with the most basic. At the tip top is the place that Maslow says all humans should find at some time in life -- self actualization. Self actualization is defined (more or less) as knowing who you are and fulfilling it without shame.

As I have become more self actualized, I've discovered two things about myself. One -- I like boundaries. Two -- I like freedom. How messed up is that?!? It certainly explains a lot, right?

Well, here's what I really mean. I like moral boundaries. I'm comforted by the thought that there are moral absolutes. It's good that truth exists, and that I don't have to define it based on how I'm feeling any given day.

But, I like freedom. I like to choose from day to day how to live inside those moral boundaries. I'm not a creature of habit ... I'm not a person of routine (generally speaking). I don't wake at the same time every day ... I don't fall asleep at the same time every night. And in between sunrise and sunset, my days are varied.

Here's one way to describe how boundaries and freedom interact. God has given me a piece of paper with the outline of a picture on it. That outline shows me where it is I should color. Stray outside the lines and I'm beyond where I should be. Stay inside the lines, and I'm where I should be.

But within those lines I have freedom. I can choose the color. I can choose whether to use crayons, ink, paint, or lead. I can concentrate on a very small area of the picture, or broadly consider the entire work.

Boundaries and freedom can become extreme opposites. Extreme boundaries lead to cults, or monasteries. Extreme freedom leads to anarchy and atheism. In some ways, the extremes are attractive because they are easyt to define. In a cult I never have to make a personal decision how to exercise freedom. An atheist never has to concern himself with boundaries, because there is no judgment for behavior.

The life of balancing boundaries and freedom is filled with hard choices, pain, remorse, joy, uncertainty. Sometimes this balancing act gets the best of us and we wish life weren't so tough. Thank God for His abundance of grace and mercy that provides for my failure. Thank God for the Spirit He provides so that I can abound in power, love, and self-discipline.