Stressless Saturday

I often have clients who are stressed out because they do too much and don't know how to say no. People who are in helping professions are often the worst at putting up personal boundaries because they are needed...and they hate to let anyone down. As a Christian I try to follow the model that Jesus set...but I often forget that although He was the ultimate healer and helper, He set boundaries!

Check out this quote from Laurie Beth Jones in Jesus, Life Coach:

"Whenever I am seated over the wing of an airplane I look with some amusement and no small amount of prayer at the letters placed outside over a small section of the wing. The letters read: "Do Not Step Here." Obviously that small movable part on the huge metal airship is fragile. One misstep could cause enough damage to bring the whole plane tumbling down. What many of us fail to realize is that we have within us areas of the soul that have the same lettering. Yet, somehow, mostly through our own neglect, we allow others to trample all over our "fragile pieces" and then we wonder why we don't seem to have the energy we need to get off the ground.

People who are in service to others, and especially those who are Christians, often believe that they must give all they have all the time to all who ask whenever they may ask it...

Jesus was very intentional about His work. He did not heal all of the people in Jerusalem. He did not raise all of the dead. He knew His mission and He stuck to it. He was also very conscious about his boundaries.

Part of guarding your fragile things is recognizing when and where and how to raise and lower your personal boundaries at appropriate times."