“At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’” (Luke 4:42–43)

Have you ever struggled with boundaries? I’ve been working on creating boundaries—and sticking with them—for a long time. Somewhere along the way, I picked up the idea that a good Christian is always available when someone needs them. I’m a helper by nature, and when asked to help, I often jump in without thinking things through. This leads to frustration with myself, because I feel taken advantage of, and to exhaustion, because I overextend myself.

I’m a relatively cautious person in other areas of my life (meaning I typically overthink things), so why do I do this? When I’m asked to help, it feels good, so I want to do it. The helper part of me doesn’t want to see someone I care about struggling, especially if I think there’s something I can do to relieve their pain. What I’ve discovered is, I can’t fix things for them, only Jesus can. Continue reading “Struggling to Set Boundaries” →