What’s good and bad about rules and limits?

The pros and cons of limits and rules

Norms, structures, and restrictions define our world. There are hazards associated with autos and other vehicles, but speed restrictions and road markers help mitigate those dangers. Countries can (ideally) function fairly and successfully for all citizens thanks to election procedures and government structures.

And the ultimate illustration: God-given limits keep us close to our Shepherd while allowing us to safely explore the physical world. Limitations are a possible interpretation, but the goal is not to restrict our lives but to enrich them.

These limits set by God and the laws of nature are necessary for our survival. They’re good for society as a whole. They’re beneficial in nature. Human nature means that we can twist and manipulate even the best of things, whether that means relaxing restrictions so that we may do anything we want or tightening them so that we can impose our will on others.

To play a game we want to play by our own set of rules, we bend them to fit our egotistical needs.

Restricted by the views of others

We can see the effects of social media and marketing on the generations who grew up constantly connected to their phones. Airbrushed publications and the glitz of Hollywood have been around for a long time, far before the advent of iPhones and Instagram filters, but the effects appear to be more pervasive now.

Young people are restricted in how they may present themselves, from the clothing they can wear to the form of their faces and hairstyles. This puts a damper on how special we can be. We’re all unique, yet there’s a lot of pressure to act the same.

These constraints are not just skin deep. Now that lifestyles can be monetized, anybody with a sizable following may present themselves as an authority on how to achieve success in life. To improve our efficiency, achievement, and happiness, we look to the advice of those who have already achieved success.

If our outcomes don’t fit a narrow definition of success as determined by the opinions of people in a position of power, then we can’t consider ourselves successful. Instead of seeking out who God made us to be, we settle for meeting the same criteria set by society and the marketplace.

Humans are feeling the effects of false boundaries (or attempting to push good limits) in the form of rising anxiety, chronic insatiability, and a hustling culture. When we finally have what we want, we’re exhausted, in debt, and miserable.

As a result, we lose the ability to fully appreciate the here-and-now, appreciate what we already have, and look forward to the future with a feeling of happy optimism and at-ease confidence.

Infinite God-love

Thankfully, God’s love does not depend on how well we perform under these bogus constraints; being saved and loved by Jesus does not need flawless skin, a perfectly decorated house, or a strictly adhered to health routine. God’s love for us is the one and only thing we need.

In addition, God transcends all boundaries. He doesn’t have to confine himself to the same mental and physical confines that the rest of us do.

A reminder and demonstration of God’s boundless nature are offered in the following text.

According to his awesome power at work inside us, “now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think” (Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20).

One cannot fathom God’s potential or strength. He is capable of doing far more than we can ever begin to fathom, and that’s saying a lot given that some people’s imaginations appear to have no end. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite space, yet this really highlights how much flexibility we have.

One of billions of people, yet loved and known by the God who can envision what is beyond the furthest horizon, the deepest ocean trench, the tallest mountain peak, the largest grassy plain, and the farthest horizon.

God’s power, purposes, majesty, and grace are much greater than anything that could ever be of human concern.

In God, there are no bounds. We don’t have to let our incapacity to work late, study all night, manage a family, maintain friendships, go to the gym, serve at church, take up a hobby, forget the past, prepare for the future, or enjoy life prohibit us from feeling powerful, capable, and hopeful.

God’s boundlessness allows us to live abundantly without feeling stifled by it.