Boundaries and Being Spent

Life's Boundaries

A friend introduced me to the book, Boundaries, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. While I generally prefer avoiding the "relationship" discussions if possible, I decided to at least read the description. What I read blew me away. This wasn't the typical 'do this' or 'avoid this' .. the rule-based lifestyle I wanted to avoid. What I saw was the underlying motivation for boundaries. Boundaries not only for dating, but for your life as well. I recommend you at least check out the link, with its discussion and sample chapter. If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear more.

How about 'being spent'?

In my previous post, I talked about being spent for His Glory. If you read from the link I posted above on Boundaries, it may seem like contradicting ideas. We are made strong to be spent for His Glory ... yet The Boundaries proposed by Cloud and Townsend seem to suggest that we should 'limit our spending'.

Now there are both good ways and destructive ways on being spent. The first chapter of Cloud and Townsend's book on Boundaries (see the link) give examples of being spent in unhealthy ways. The Call of the Christian is to be spent for His Glory.

Yes, it's good to help others. But sometimes, you can still do "good" and be spent on the wrong things. If you're deciding between doing good or doing ill, then the choice is obvious: do good. The problem becomes more challenging if you're choosing between a set of good alternatives.

And if you're like me, the problem becomes compounded because of the limited supply and excessive demand of your time. Learning to say "no" to some "good" things allows you to say "yes" to "greater" things. And by freeing yourself from these "good" things, you can be spent on these "greater" things.

Yes, I know I speak in abstractions, but if this clicks, cool! As a final analogy, I want to give two quick examples on energy expenditure:

• Healthy: Being 'spent' after a tough, yet invigorating workout
• Unhealthy: Being 'spent' sitting in front of the computer doing [insert activity]

The End of the Matter

So what? There are two key issues at hand. The first is in identifying what is healthy and what isn't. While it isn't always easy, it is generally something you just know.

The second issue, and a much tougher issue, is to implement this healthy lifestyle. To guard your time dearly so it can be spent without reserve for the Glory of Your King.

Epilogue

I am not against spending your energy. In fact, you must spend it. I'm an 'all-or-nothing' kind of guy. What I'm advocating is being wise with your spending. Be it with your time, money, energy, and so forth. To be good stewards of what you have been entrusted.

Here's a good example of how not to spend your energy:

I won't give you all the details, but let me just say ...

... I found a new use for yoga mats when spending the night at the office =)

Smile with Lots of Love,

Josh