Pushing Boundries

I went to a baseball game the other day.


I saw something that puzzled me at first. Then it amazed me. And finally I recognized it as part of me...


The coaches at 1st and 3rd base each have an area in which they are allowed to stand so they can tell the runners what to do as they round the bases. The area is well defined and clearly marked on the field. The rules state without ambiguity that the coach must stand within the boarders of the box when they are on the field. The players know it, the coaches know it, even the fans know it.

But do you think that any of the coaches on either of the teams ever stayed within the defined area? Nope. They were always at least 2 to 3 steps outside of the box. It isn't that they couldn't see as well if they stayed in the box. They just didn't want to say in the boundaries.

I wondered about that for a while, and then I realized that I'm no different. I'm forever pushing boundaries in my life. How fast can I drive, how late can I sleep, how much food can I eat, how little exercise can I get away with, how much do I really have to pray, is it really necessary for me to read the Bible every day, why can't I...(fill in the blank)