But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. 
Galatians 1:15 NLT

The average person who walks through a formal garden, might pause to admire the beauty of the peonies, or bend low enough to inhale the scent of the roses, but almost no one says, “Wow look at the beautiful edge on that bed!” But as a professional gardener I can tell you that the edge of any garden is its lifeline, and I can’t even begin to add up the number of miles my garden-spade has cut to prevent the roots of the surrounding lawn from invading the soil around the flowers. Today’s verse talks about cutting a different kind of an edge: one God had made in Paul’s life. Now to modern Western culture, the idea people being separated from one other is totally foreign and smacks of prejudice. But this kind of separation is not made by man but by the Master Gardener of the universe. From birth God cut an edge between what Paul wanted to do, and what God had called Him to do, and He wants to do the same for you and me. But you might protest, “I thought Jesus came to bring us peace on earth, not separation! Doesn’t He love everyone?” Oh yes, Jesus loves everyone, but He is loving, pure and holy and He will not compromise those things to make people happy. Even within families, sometimes God must make a separation, to prevent roots of bitterness, hatred, or unbelief from creeping in. It might seem appealing to us to grow outside His garden edge, but it breaks His heart and there will be a price to pay when those roots get tangled in our hearts. Some of that envy, a little pinch of sarcasm, a hint of jealousy and on and on, wraps their tentacles around our motives and actions. But even if that has happened, there is good news. When we return to God and His word, His garden-spade, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, will begin to separate us again to Him, and by His grace gives us a chance to bloom again!