I've been thinking about this lately.
So many of the Christians I work with need boundary work.
They seem to think that having boundaries is bad.
A good book that addresses this topic is Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend.
What are boundaries? They serve several purposes - they protect us from offensive behavior and they contain us from being offenders ourselves.
They also keep the good stuff in and let the bad stuff out, keep the bad stuff out and let the good stuff in.
According to Pia Mellody, there are three kinds of boundaries.
Physical, Sexual and Internal.
It is the Internal Boundaries where most of us have problems.
There are two parts to our internal boundaries - listening and talking.
Of key importance in our talking boundary is speaking our truth in love.
Many Christians are trying to be "nice" instead of telling the truth.
Telling the truth doesn't mean I have to be rude.
Telling the truth with boundaries and moderation means being real! When I am with someone who I know will be honest with me, I feel safe! When I can be genuine with a friend, that is true intimacy..
..
The other day I was listening to a Joyce Meyer CD.
I was delighted to hear her say "God is looking for something real".
He wants us to be real! Along those same lines, here's something Jesus said: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one".
Matthew 5:37.
You can't be more real than Jesus...
Looks like Jesus believed in boundaries, too!