August 13
Scripture focus: Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors! Revelation 3:20-21
My feisty family of origin predisposed me to love the image of Princess Warrior – especially the warrior part! I love the idea of being part of something larger than myself and having a mission that I am passionately pursuing. Admittedly, I kind of like the image of having a place at the table of honor too.
But being a conqueror is not always the same thing as being a winner. Sometimes we lose battles and fear losing the war. When things go wrong, without our healthy boundaries intact to keep our mind sharp and emotions, attitudes and behaviors in alignment with our true, God-created identity and beliefs – we might get distracted and find ourselves in need of an attitude adjustment. Lack of healthy boundaries in our relationships and work life will result in problems that may manifest themselves at the first sign of trouble – i.e., feeling like things aren't going our way or – heaven forbid – at the suggestion that we might be a failure!
Here are some ways that we might reveal a bad attitude:
- When we blame others for a problem rather than focusing on taking the next right step toward a solution
- When we make excuses for our procrastination and incompetencies rather than accepting personal responsibility for our part in the mess and eagerly seeking to learn from our mistakes
- When we avoid admitting and acknowledging a problem
- When we minimize a conflict rather than seek reconciliation
- When we rationalize a reason for a problem or "label" someone without taking appropriate actions to resolve the issue...all of these are symptoms of the kinds of attitudes people with bad boundaries might display.
Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Even the Son of God waits respectfully at the door, allowing us the opportunity to choose whether we will open it or not. Learning how to live and love with healthy boundaries is one of the ways we let him into our lives.
Recommended reading: 1 Kings 13-15
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