Dear Ones,
Hope each of you had a wonderful day yesterday to Celebrate Jesus’ birthday. We enjoyed time with many about 40 relatives here at the hotel with sharing, lots of food, games and fun! We are going to see my brother and sister-in-law’s apartment this morning and then more relatives coming by in the afternoon and pizza and games tonight.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many of us find it difficult to say “no” to others and wind up being overcommitted and pressed for time and even “burned out.” Maybe we think as a Christian it is unspiritual to say no when others have expectations of us but that is not so. If we say yes to all the demands of others, we will end up like the pastor Craig Cooney who was diagnosed with low-level burnout and depression and almost destroyed his ministry… but he got help. I want to share some of his practical wisdom and if you are in such a similar situation, you may want to read his whole article. He learned he could set boundaries and when needed say NO!

All of us should choose our friends wisely as we aren’t able to spend time with everyone, and sometimes we need boundaries even with those who become close to us. When they are taking up too much of our time, and we are getting stressed we can speak up and make changes. We can offer to get together every other week instead of every week or tell them you only have so much time and then end it, at the set time. I use to have someone call every morning for an hour and it became too much as I was a busy pastor’s wife. Back then I didn’t know how to limit it without hurting her feelings. We don’t need to apologize or give long explanations but rather that we feel the Lord is directing us in a certain way. Of course, we can’t control how others will respond ether but we can keep boundaries as a form of selfcare: we can’t give to others if we are worn out and our bucket is empty.

Boundaries help us to be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy so we can serve God best and most effectively. If others don’t respect our boundaries, we may need to put firmer ones in place or it may even get to removing ourselves from a relationship. Coonie writes that boundaries are a sign of maturity and self-respect. They give us direction and protection so we don’t live according to the demands of others but help us be healthy and fruitful. Then we can be more intentional about seeking the Lord, reading the Word and enjoying His presence.

Challenge for today: Don’t get distracted by relationships that consume your time but set boundaries and make changes so you have time and space to focus on the Lord.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

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