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One thing that always strikes me when reading through Jesus’ earthly ministry is how frequently and perhaps even how easily he set healthy boundaries despite the pressures of others. I don’t know about you, but I am typically the type of person that when a request is made of me, or I feel called to step into a situation, I am pretty apt to say “yes” right away.
I don’t often place boundaries around my time like I would like to, or say “no” to the people around me in fear of letting them down. Yet, when I look at Jesus’ example, so often his willingness and his abilities to set boundaries was out of necessity for sustenance and a nourishment from the Father first. He stole away to quiet places to pray. The time he spent in the desert and resting and praying makes me feel uncomfortable as I face the pressures of my life. To think about taking days or weeks at a time to spend with the Lord makes me think about “all the things on my to-do list: what am I to do about all those things?” When I don’t set those healthy boundaries around my daily choices, too often I am not functioning out of God’s design for my life. I am trying to take things into my own hands.
So, I want to encourage you, if you are walking in a season of challenges and difficulties, maybe you’re in a season of growth and opportunity, and you’re knowing that you are stepping into this bold and courageous place. How can you set healthy boundaries around your time, your relationships, your time with the Lord, with your family? That takes the ability to stop and ask yourself, “what is most important to me?”
When I have new clients, one of the first activities we usually do is list out everything in their life that is important to them. Nothing is too significant or insignificant. We end up with a list of 25-30 things and then we go back and rank the top ten. Then I ask them to think back over the last week and over the last few days and ask, “How often have you prioritized these things?” And as you can imagine it makes them uncomfortable and it reminds me of how often I don’t prioritize my most important things.
So, I encourage you, set boundaries like Jesus did. Even if you feel like you don’t have the time or space take five minutes, ten minutes, even one minute as a great starting point. Your decisions, your family, the people around you will thank you.