Within a few days of my incarceration, I was re-introduced to the phrase “out of bounds.” I had previously heard this term in golf where it means “a limit one must stay within or else pay a penalty.” But here, “out of bounds” means an inmate is somewhere he is normally allowed to be but not at a time when he is allowed to be there. It may be at the health clinic without an appointment, at the dorm when he is supposed to be at work, or at the library without a pass. Any time we inmates are somewhere that we are not supposed to be, we are “out of bounds.”
God gives us as believers many clear out-of-bounds markers in His Word-things like sexual immorality, greed, and filthy language are never okay for His followers. But even within those boundaries, we have a responsibility to use our freedom wisely, and to be where we’re supposed to be when we’re supposed to be. The hedge of protection He places around us distinguishes us as His children. The Lord lovingly guides us, never letting us slip from out of His bounds.