Boundaries

101 6. Common Boundary Myths O ne of the definitions of a myth is a fiction that looks like a truth. Sometimes it sounds so true ...

102 Though having wishes and desires is a God-given trait (Prov. 13:4), we are to keep them in line with healthy goals and respo ...

103 Stewardship A helpful way to understand setting limits is that our lives are a gift from God. Just as a store manager takes ...

104 Barry thought desperately to himself. I could say, “None of the above interest me. Don’t call me—I’ll call you.” But he’s a ...

105 compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7 NRSV, ital- ics mine). Look at the first two ways of giving: “reluct ...

106 Jesus could have manipulated the situation so that it was less hard to swallow. He could have said, “Well, how about ninety ...

107 this gives the church an opportunity to provide support and a spiritual and emotional “home” to the abandoned person. In no ...

108 you are made for relationship. You need people. You must have places where you are connected, where you are loved uncondi- t ...

109 (Matt. 14:22–23). In these instances, we have to allow others to take responsibility for their “knapsacks” (Gal. 6:5) and to ...

110 It had begun innocently enough. Brenda had itemized her issues with the work situation and had presented her view and sugges ...

111 attempting to get inside his financial boundaries, and Carl’s anger was simply doing its job. Anger also provides us with a ...

112 It wasn’t until Nathan’s marriage began suffering that he began questioning his past. He naively married a woman who manipul ...

113 longer need the “rage signal.” You can see evil coming your way and prevent it from harming you by your boundaries. Don’t fe ...

114 My best friend, Randy thought to himself. I come to him in need, and he refuses me. What a blow! I guess that shows me what ...

115 abandoning my daughter—she needs me and I’m not there for her. Actually, he was a wonderful father, who read stories at nigh ...

116 Fourth, an inability to accept others’ boundaries can indi- cate a problem in taking responsibility. Randy, who needed a loa ...

117 hadn’t realized it was that bad. About Mom’s loneliness—about how we were the only bright spots in their lives. And about al ...

118 God does an instructive job of keeping the issue of gratitude and boundaries separate. In Revelation’s letters to the seven ...

PART TWO BOUNDARY CONFLICTS 119 ...

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