A Christian Meditation: Setting Boundaries With Scripture

Join me, Bethany Myers, for a soothing, scripture-guided meditation on setting healthy boundaries in relationships. Drawing from biblical wisdom, this session explores how to maintain peace and balance in your life while honoring your relationships.

Through reflection, prayer, and practical steps, learn how to create space for self-care and protect your well-being—just as Jesus did. Let the Word of God guide you in embracing the power of saying 'no' with grace and guarding your heart. Take a deep breath, and discover the freedom that comes with healthy boundaries.

Transcript

Welcome!

I'm so glad that you're here today.

There's a lot that it took for you to get here and I'm just so thankful to have you.

And today I'm excited to explore the concept of setting healthy boundaries in relationships,

Especially guided by Scripture and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you know,

Relationships can be an amazing source of joy,

But they can also be challenging.

And today,

As we breathe and reflect and center ourselves,

I want to invite you to embrace God's wisdom on how to maintain balance and peace in your relationships.

So let's start first by just letting go of the stresses of the day,

Of the moment,

And let's take a few deep breaths together.

So follow me as we breathe in and breathe out.

Let's do it again.

Breathe in and out.

One more time,

As deep as you can.

Let's breathe in and out.

I hope by now we've let go a little bit of tension in our shoulders,

In our neck,

In our back,

In our bodies,

And in our minds.

And as we close our eyes,

Just focus on the presence of Jesus.

Focus on his peace that surrounds you,

Knowing that you are deeply loved by God,

And that his word is here to guide us and to guide every part of our lives,

Especially today as we focus on relationships.

So what better way to start than to just open the Bible and find that God values relationships built on love,

Respect,

And mutual understanding.

Now the commandment in Exodus 20 12 says to honor your father and mother,

Which emphasizes the importance of respecting our fathers,

Our mothers,

Our mother-in-laws,

And our father-in-laws.

But honoring our parents doesn't necessarily mean allowing them to cross boundaries that affect our well-being or our walk with God.

And I think that's really important to focus on.

Even Jesus modeled the importance of boundaries during his ministry.

Think of Mark 1 35,

Where the Bible says,

Very early in the morning,

While it was still dark,

Jesus got up,

Left the house,

And went off to a solitary place where he prayed.

Jesus understood that he needed time alone with God to recharge,

To set boundaries between his mission and the constant demands of those around him.

He took time to step away from the crowd,

To renew his strength,

And to maintain his focus.

In the same way,

We need to create space for ourselves,

Especially in our closest relationships.

It's okay to evaluate and consider the relationships that are not breathing life into us,

The relationships that are taking more work or demanding more of us than we are capable of giving.

And something that always stuck out to me when I had a biblical counselor,

She brought up the verse,

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Value others above your own self.

And in the same vein,

She always encouraged me and said,

But if it is to the detriment of yourself,

That's not what God wants.

God doesn't want us to carry burdens that are too heavy for us.

He doesn't want us to be in relationships that are going to be too much and too heavy and painful.

I truly believe that Jesus wants us to be surrounded by like-minded believers who will lift us up and encourage us in this very daunting and difficult world that we live in today.

So let's take a moment to just take another deep breath in and out.

Just release any stress that you're holding on to and relax into this truth.

The truth that it's okay to set boundaries.

It is okay to take time for yourself.

Boundaries are not a sign of weakness or distance.

They are actually an expression of love for yourself to protect yourself and for others.

When we create healthy boundaries,

We are protecting our hearts.

We are protecting our own hearts.

As Proverbs 4.

23 reminds us,

Above all else,

Guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.

God calls us to live in peace,

Romans 12.

18,

But that doesn't mean saying yes to everything.

It means knowing when to say no with grace and when to step back and create room for us to spend more time with God,

Spend more time in the relationships that are giving us life,

Or just spend time renewing our own hearts,

Our own minds in God's Word with Scripture,

Allowing Jesus to meet us where we are and comfort us.

I know that saying no can sometimes feel uncomfortable,

Especially with the people that we really care deeply about,

But remember Jesus himself showed us the importance of discernment and balance in our interactions.

Now let's take a step back and focus on our breath again,

Just a relaxed breath.

I hope your eyes are still closed and remember that the Holy Spirit indwells you.

The Holy Spirit is inside you.

The Holy Spirit is equipping you with wisdom.

The Holy Spirit is our counselor and he will be the one to help us maintain these boundaries with kindness and strength.

So now let's try to practically put into play what we've thought about today,

What we've asked God for today,

And I want us to think of a relationship in your life that may need clearer boundaries and just imagine that person.

What do they look like?

What do they sound like?

And I just ask and pray God that we would look at this person with compassion,

Lord,

That all of the hurt would be washed away right now,

God,

And that our eyes would see them through your eyes,

Lord.

I pray for a sense of peace and that you would just give us space to view this person as you want us to through your lens.

And Lord,

We just ask you for wisdom and courage in how to protect our own well-being with this person.

Give us a strategy.

Give us understanding.

Is it simply just altering the way that we communicate with them?

Is it just saying no?

Is it changing the way we interact with them?

If they are encroaching upon our personal space,

Do we meet them in public somewhere?

Just give us wisdom and understanding on how to interact with them because,

Lord,

We cannot change the other person and how they speak to us or how they interact with us,

But we definitely can be changed,

Lord,

By you,

By your Holy Spirit.

Give us more patience.

Give us more peace.

Give us more understanding on how to approach this person,

Lord.

Please guide us and navigate us when these challenges arise.

And I pray that in certain moments,

Lord,

That you would help us to either bite our tongue or to speak up.

Which one do you want us to do?

Holy Spirit,

Lead us because there will be opportunities presented,

God,

Where we can either speak volumes with silence or we can speak volumes with words.

Grant us those words,

Lord.

What do they look like?

Lord,

We just take a moment and we just ask for you to speak to us,

God.

What do you want us to know right now?

And I'm going to just give you just a moment to receive from God right now.

What does he have for you?

What is he saying to you?

I'm going to just take a moment to breathe and give you this time to hear from God.

And honestly,

If he's telling you something that you don't really understand,

Ask him for that wisdom.

If you don't understand the meaning right now,

Maybe he'll reveal it to you after this meditation.

Maybe he'll reveal it to you in a week or a month.

Just ask him for understanding of what he means.

And Lord,

We trust and believe that you are giving us the vision,

The understanding that we need in this relationship.

And I'm not sure exactly what God told you or who is in your mind right now,

But he knows.

He knows exactly who that person is.

And I just want to close today by reflecting on one final verse in Matthew 11 28.

Come to me,

All you who are weary and burdened,

And I will give you rest.

Let's just remember that God invites us to find rest and renewal in him.

He is our refuge.

He is our source of strength.

He is the one to tell us what our identity is.

Not this person in the relationship that you're in.

They may have said hurtful words.

They may have said words about who you are or something about you.

But remember that they don't have that authority.

God is the one that has the authority to say that you are beautifully and wonderfully made.

I just pray that you would remember that today.

And let's just take one last deep breath in and out.

And let's just remember as we return to our day to carry the confidence of God.

He is with you.

He is guiding your steps.

And he will help you create relationships that reflect his peace,

His wisdom,

And his love.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Reviews

Something that is not talked about enough is boundaries. Thank you so much. Lovely words to hear this morning.

Thank you, I opned this meditation just to get the Scripture part in it, but also in a verbally abusive, argumentative relationship full of strife. I am a nurse now on disability due to an illness that medicine doesn't have the knowledge to heal or allow me to get back to work. I have been relying on man to help me financially, but I am paying for it mentally. I feel tormented and trapped. Thank You for leading a meditation in Bible scripture and in Jesus.

beautifully said baby!! God is so good at caring for us and showing us the way!

Thank you 🙏 I appreciate your practical wisdom. And love the scripture support for daily life. So wonderful to hear your meditations again.