Fences vs. Walls

It has been creeping up on me for a while now. This season. This moment in my life. I have been feeling the shift but it wasn't until today that I full recognized what was going on. And gave myself permission to let it happen.

I've been putting up fences. Not walls. Fences.

I'm in a time when I'm pulling back and paring down. Being careful with who I let in to our family and our journey. And re-focusing on family. Cause family matters.

As this has been creeping up I've struggled with the way I've been feeling. I've worried about walls. And putting my guard up. And closing myself off.

And then I spent some time thinking about this, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

Usually I've applied this scripture to situations in my life where there would be potential for bitterness or offense. However, the more I think about it, the more I think it applies to all affairs of the heart. Protect your heart. Guard your heart. Take care of your heart.

Of course taking care of your heart can't involve closing it off. So I'm not using this verse as an excuse to do that.

I think it's obvious God wants us to protect our hearts. And that means being careful with what we do with them. And who we allow to access them. And as a mom, that means I watch over my kids hearts too.

This is the fact that helped me realize I wasn't putting up walls, and allowed myself permission to put up fences; I'm still letting people in. Even making new friendships and deepening those I've already got. But I'm being cautious. And cautious is alright. 

Fences are borders and boundaries. Light comes in. A breeze flows through. Fences tell people where they can be and can't be. A wall shuts people off. I don't want walls in my life. I'm sure you don't want them in yours. They're also a lot harder to take down.

So, I think I'm alright with my fences for the moment. I'm going to spend some more time thinking about Proverbs 4:23 and just what God is saying to me and our family in this moment.

It's a journey after all. And this is just a tiny part of mine.