In the world around us, physical boundaries are easy to see….. lines, fences, signs, hedges…..these are all physical boundaries. They give the same message….THIS IS WHERE MY PROPERTY BEGINS. As the owner of the property, I am legally responsible for what happens on my property line. Non-owners are not responsible. Boundaries are just as real in the spiritual realm, only harder to see. Yet they serve the same purpose. They protect ownership.
The word of God says that our bodies are the temple of the living God, and His Spirit lives in us. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) We have been bought at a price…by the precious blood of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 6:20) Therefore, we belong to Jesus first and foremost, and our identity is in Him and Him alone. Boundaries merely help guard and protect that relationship and our relationship with self and others.
Boundaries also defend us physically, emotionally, and spiritually from intrusive or unwanted dangers. They also make it possible to engage and enjoy mutually healthy relationships because they protect those relationships by setting the course for mutual respect, consideration, and safety.
Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins….leading me to a sense of ownership. Knowing what I own and take responsibility for gives me freedom. If I know where my yard begins and ends, I am free to take responsibility for my life, and it opens us options to pursue the person that God created me to be. It also gives me the freedom to allow you to be who God created you to be and take responsibility for your own life. This takes the burden off both you and me.
When you have healthy boundaries, you guard yourself from giving more than you should and protect you from others taking more than they should.
Boundaries help bring order to your personal world and the world around you and guard against enmeshment and codependency, where you are controlled by others and stripped of your identity in Christ, causing great conflict in all areas of your life.
God’s Word tells us to……” Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)
How about you? Do you have healthy boundaries? If not, ask the Lord to show you how to put boundaries in place that will guard your heart and help you engage in mutually healthy relationships that are blessed by God.
