As you can see this is a map of the United States of America. Everything north of what's shown here and everything south of what's shown here, do not belong to the US. I'm not a history buff so I cannot go into the detail as to how it all happened... I just know that it is. The boundaries have been set. Within the United States of America, there are states. Each state is identified by it's boundaries, also as shown here. Within each state are cities, which also have boundaries. All of these boundaries allows each entity to operate within it's own confines. They can create their own laws and ordinances and choose how to enforce them. We can continue to narrow this scope until we are down to the very household we live in level, where the parents make the rules (laws) and decide how to enforce (time out, spanking, grounding, etc.) them. And then there is the one and only thing each of us really only has control of and that is ourselves. Have you ever heard the phrase, "you are invading my space". Well that is a boundary that one has decided to own and enforce by letting the other person know that they are in their space. If only all of the invisible boundaries were that easy to identify AND enforce!
In the physical world, boundaries are easy to see. In the spiritual world, boundaries are just as real but often harder to see (p.31 of text & p.15 of workbook).
Proverbs 4:23
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
for it is the wellspring of life.
If I have no boundaries or they are misplaced, how can I even begin to "guard my heart"? Well, the eyes and ears are the windows to the soul. With the media outlets today, it is very difficult to stay on guard all of the time. However, we can protect our hearts in our dealings with people, by deciding who we are, "what is me and what is not me?". (Cloud & Townsend, 1995)
Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. (1995). Boundaries workbook. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. (1995). Boundaries workbook. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
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