Boundaries

21 to things that could set him off: lateness, disagreements, and her own anger. As long as she was quiet and agreeable, things ...

22 11:50 P.M. Lying in bed, Sherrie couldn’t tell which was greater, her lone- liness or her exhaustion. Deciding it was the fir ...

23 taking responsibility for others isn’t working. A master of taking care of the feelings and problems of others, Sherrie feels ...

24 tremendous confusion about when it is biblically appropriate to set limits. When confronted with their lack of boundaries, th ...

25 2. What Does a Boundary Look Like? T he parents of a twenty-five-year-old man came to see me with a common request: they want ...

26 father said, “Did I hear you right? You don’t think he has a problem?” “That’s correct,” I said. “He doesn’t have a problem. ...

27 Invisible Property Lines and Responsibility In the physical world, boundaries are easy to see. Fences, signs, walls, moats wi ...

28 ourselves; that is, we inhabit our own souls, and we are respon- sible for the things that make up “us.” “The heart knows its ...

29 We shouldn’t be expected to carry a boulder by ourselves! It would break our backs. We need help with the boulders—those time ...

30 And when the good is on the outside, we need to open our gates and “let it in.” Jesus speaks of this phenomenon in “receiv- i ...

31 he is and who he is not. For example, he says that he is love and that he is not darkness (1 John 4:16; 1:6). In addition, he ...

32 Victims of physical and sexual abuse often have a poor sense of boundaries. Early in life they were taught that their propert ...

33 the “edges” that help identify you. “I don’t like it when you yell at me!” gives people a clear message about how you conduct ...

34 When a relationship is abusive, many times the only way to finally show the other person that your boundaries are real is to ...

35 abusive or addicted person without seeing true change is foolish. Forgive, but guard your heart until you see sustained chang ...

36 Consequences Trespassing on other people’s property carries consequences. “No Trespasssing” signs usually carry a threat of p ...

37 pity on him, bandaged his wounds, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day the Samaritan gave the innkeeper ...

38 To avoid these scenarios, we need to look at what falls within our boundaries, what we are responsible for. Feelings Feelings ...

39 and Eve. We need to own our attitudes and convictions because they fall within our property line. We are the ones who feel th ...

40 Choices We need to take responsibility for our choices. This leads to the fruit of “self-control” (Gal. 5:23). A common bound ...