Thinking about boundaries today and the result of failing to set them or respect those of others. Are there times when boundaries need to be pressed? Yes. But undertaking such ventures as that alone or without sufficient prayer and preparation can be disastrous.
Cloud and Townsend’s book, Boundaries, has a chart that shows the downward spiral for those who refuse to set boundaries or accept the boundaries of others. In descending order, the entities against which one rebels are these:
parents
siblings,
teachers
peers
spouses
employers
one’s own health/body…….(and finally, when one has kicked against all of the other boundaried individuals/ institutions in her life, one comes up against)
law enforcement and the court system…. (including the state dependency system when one’s children are removed.) .
This is the “final frontier” in boundary setting opportunities…..and a boundary standard which one will either accept and respect or one will continue in a life of chaos and difficulty. It is often after one’s first or second encounter with the court system that she begins to realize that life will have to be dealt with on life’s terms and not raled or rebelled against or manipulated for one’s own preference, convenience, etc.