by Kate Battistelli
It stopped me in my tracks the first time I read it. My circumstances were not particularly pleasant at that moment in time and I felt like my life was anything but good but, I flipped open my bible anyway. I felt passed over, ignored, left out by God and completely alone until I read these precious words King David wrote centuries ago:
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
Psalm 16:5-8
You maintain my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
As I thought about what God was saying here, it grasped ahold of my heart and in all these years it’s never let go. This is one of my top ‘life scriptures’ and I pray it regularly because I know it’s the absolute, take-it-to-the-bank truth.
I’m not proud of a lot in my past but you know what? My past is what makes me who I am because it defines the boundaries of my life. And even though I’m not proud of everything I’ve ever done, I’m incredibly grateful for my life and my inheritance. As the years go by, God is teaching me exactly what my ‘lot’ is and what my ‘inheritance’ and those ‘boundary lines’ include.
The enemy will try to use our past to derail our future because he’s absolutely terrified we’ll be unstoppable if we get this right.
He’ll use your past against you because the devil wants to derail your future. He wants you so focused on YOU and YOUR PAIN you can’t begin to be there for someone else.
Let me share the truths I’ve learned with you.
So what exactly are ‘boundary lines’? I believe they’re everything we’ve ever gone through, dealt with or suffered. They include our life experiences, our family history, where we’ve lived, our hardships, abuses, rejections, addictions, talents, abilities, economic status, jobs–all of these define our boundary lines. It’s our territory, our land, given to us by a wise, compassionate, all-knowing God.
Truth #1: I’m filthy rich and you are too.
Maybe you’ve had terrible experiences, tragedy and loss, but you too have a good inheritance. How do I know? Because if you have Him you have everything you could ever need. It may be hard to see right now but it’s true.
Truth #2: Not a single element of your life has been left to fate or luck or chance. Every detail is known by, allowed by or planned by a holy God. Every experience, good or bad, has become part of your ‘portion’ with a purpose bigger than your pain.
Truth #3: Your one job is to possess your land, to own your inheritance, to accept it.
Every single messy inch of it.
Because here’s the thing,
Truth #4: It’s yours but it’s not just for you!. God is other-centered. He wants us to use everything, every hurt, every heartache, every challenge and success for someone else’s good, not simply for our own. Sweet friend, it’s time to see your life and your past from God’s perspective.
Truth #5: Nothing about your life is random. You’re not a victim. Everything you have and every pain you’ve experienced has purpose and can change the world. But you’ll have to stop hiding from it, throw your arms around it, and embrace it. You’ll have to possess your land, every single messy inch of it.
Kate Battistelli is living proof God can and will use anyone if they’re willing to be used. She’s the author of the bestseller, The God Dare: Will You Choose to Believe the Impossible, and Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life. She’s mom to GRAMMY award-winning artist Francesca Battistelli and Mimi to her 6 children. Kate experienced infertility, miscarriage, an abortion at 18, and four failed adoption attempts, which all wreaked havoc on her life. As a young actress in New York City, Kate had a life-changing experience, going from understudy to starring as Anna in the Broadway National Tour of The King and I opposite Yul Brynner for more than 1,000 performances. Kate and her husband laid down their careers in the Broadway theatre in answer to their first “God Dare”, moving out of New York City and into a life of homeschooling and a home business. She’s been married to her husband Mike for 38 years and blogs about food and faith at www.KateBattistelli.com
Kate is one-third of the popular Mom to Mom Podcast, bridging the generation gap with a biblical example of mentoring in every season of motherhood.
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