You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13 NIV
Comment
We want to experience freedom in our relationship, with healthy give-and-take; but if things have got off-kilter, how do we re-balance? Sometimes we need to put up good fences – not to keep each other out but to help our marriage grow by setting appropriate boundaries. My husband and I have had to learn this over many years and we probably still have more to learn. For example, there are ways of speaking to one another that we put up a fence against: ‘I won’t answer if you speak to me in that tone.’ When one of us feels a boundary is needed – possibly because the other person is taking over completely, or not pulling their weight in an area – we make time to talk about it. Our goal is to find a time when we are sane and rested and don’t have the boxing gloves on!
Think about an area in which you want to set healthy boundaries. What might that look like over the next week?
Prayer (as a couple)
Help us Lord, to recognise where we need to set some boundaries, in order to be free to love one another more fully.
Prayer (for others)
We pray for members of our extended family who are struggling with setting or maintaining good relationship boundaries.
Quote
‘When two people are free to disagree, they are free to love.’ Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend, Boundaries in Marriage
