Boundaries

Who’s in charge of your boundaries and limits? Are you? If you are a Christian, is it the Word? Does your job place limits on you? How about your family? Maybe those boundaries and limits are impacted (determined) by your income, your education or training or experience? How about your character? The people you associate with? Your behavior? I could continue to create the list of those aspects that influence those limits and boundaries. Some are easily answered… some not so much.

Back to the first question… regardless of what or where your boundaries are - who sets them? And equally important- did you first give them the authority to do so? Do they have your best interests at heart? Do you trust ‘them’? What does scripture say about boundaries? 

According to 'Got Questions':

   "A boundary is a “dividing line.”  ...  In interpersonal relationships, a boundary is what divides one person from another, so that each can have separate identities, responsibilities, and privileges. A boundary creates necessary “space” between individuals. Healthy boundaries define expectations and show respect for others.

Biblically speaking, boundaries are related to self-control. The Bible commands us to control ourselves, whereas our human nature desires to control others (Titus 2:12). If left unchecked, our natural desires run roughshod over others. Personal boundaries help to limit our selfish inclination to control or manipulate others. Likewise, boundaries protect us from those who have no self-control and who wish to control us. A person with clear, healthy boundaries communicates to others what is and is not permissible, saying, in effect, “This is my jurisdiction, and you have no right to interfere.”

Help limit... protect us. This is what boundaries are designed to do. They aren't there for show. And while they limit our selfishness... they also protect us from those who wish to control us. We use strong words to define boundaries. Quoting Got Question's response: "Boundaries can be used in healthy ways and sinful ways. The way to know which boundaries are godly is to examine the motive." And therein lies the rub - motive. 

Our motives are the facilitators of boundaries. They also guide us when we don't use them as excuses.

   "Proper boundaries aid believers in keeping out worldly influences. (2 Corinthians 6:14). Simply, we are not to embrace the world’s way of doing things (James 4:4). Boundaries are about taking responsibility for our own lives. God gives us freedom to choose to live within His boundaries or outside of them, and to live outside of God’s boundaries means to accept the consequences. Living inside God’s boundaries brings blessing, and living outside of them brings destruction and death (Romans 6:23)."

I couldn't have said it better... Got Questions gives us concepts to consider as we develop our boundaries. I would hazard a guess that if we don't set our own boundaries with scriptural help, others will attempt to set them for us. As Christians we have a freedom than only a Jesus follower has because we aren't without His help to create boundaries that enable not bind.