Defining Your Space

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

I let her take the lead as we walked through the terminal. She’s barely four feet tall, but she pulled her neon pink and black roller suitcase like she’d been there before. I called to her to read the signs so she knew where our gate 45 was located, and I watched her decode the adult world around her using her manners to squeeze through tight spaces, only looking back to ensure we were still following. Strangers complimented her on her independence, and she flashed an unaware dimpled smile walking assuredly to our destination. She’s 7 (and a half, she would add) and she’s learning to define her space one experience at a time. 

    Defining our space is something we all do whether we’re aware of it or not. We bring our emotions, expectations, body language and communication with us into every waking moment. We are difference makers in our environments and relationships. Our space is everywhere we are, so our homes, cars, work desks, an elevator, line at the grocery store or yoga mat at the gym all count as opportunities to practice our boundary setting skills. Our space ends where another person’s begins, so it’s important to understand how boundaries work and model it for our kids from young ages. We control what we bring into our spaces, and the sooner we learn the significance of that, the better.  

    Paul’s words in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all,” are talking about defining our spaces. We cannot control the actions of others, but we can control how we approach and respond in our own space. Defining our space begins in our hearts and minds. When our identities are well defined, then how we move into the world becomes clearer too.  

    There’s nothing magical about learning to navigate an airport; it just takes practice. However, there is something significant about knowing who you are and where you’re going in a crowd, in a new job, at school or in the cul-de-sac. We see it in the life of Jesus. His peace came with His presence whether He was in a crowd of people or talking to a couple of His closest friends. It’s not just what He said, but it was who He was. The very presence of Jesus in our lives means we have access to that same peace (John 16:33). We too can be people of peace, “as far as it depends on us”. 

Catch up with Faith & Family columnist Jena Meyerpeter at UnravelGrace.com.