Genesis 31:51-54
Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.
Tag: Boundaries Keep Conflict Away
“Good fences make good neighbors!” The phrase comes from a poem by Robert Frost entitled, “Mending Wall.” Setting up boundaries is a necessity and even more so in the ambiguous and fluid world we live in today. Without boundaries you have potential for chaos and conspiracy. Today’s world with FaceBook and instant media is a great example of a world absent boundaries. When you don’t establish clear boundaries everyone crosses over into areas that are neither their’s to know or be engaged about. In the above story Laban and Jacob had a dispute. Jacob had not only taken most of Laban’s livestock away via a business transaction, but had also simply walked off with his two daughters and 11 grandchildren. This was, in their society, a potential for war (it is war in our families every day ... business between family can be destructive). To make sure they had no further conflict, Laban and Jacob set up a boundary (a fence) to keep each other honest. Establishing boundaries is healthy. So, feel like they should have untethered access to others. However, boundaries are not only important they keep relationships healthy. Good boundaries establish healthy relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment