Close the Door
Winding down, down, down into the depths of the earth, we searched in vain for a parking space. Vehicles of every make and model overflowed the parking garage under the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. A parking attendant finally had mercy on us, directing us to a makeshift space along a wall near the earth's core. I am a fan of personal space, boundaries, and healthy parameters. The cramped, underground parking garage felt like some relationships do at times--stress-inducing and intrusive.
Fences are designed to protect the inhabitants from the danger of what lies outside the fence. A tiny dog resides within a fence in order to be protected from bigger dogs, wolves, bears, mountain lions or whatever predator roams outside the fence. The dog may desire to roam free, not fully appreciating that the fence is in place to protect him. Boundaries work in a similar way. Boundaries are put in place in order to protect the person from outside danger--to provide a safe environment for spiritual and emotional growth.
"Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble." Proverbs 13:20 (NLT)
Are we placing boundaries around ourselves which allow us to walk with wise family and friends but protect us from being dragged down in the mud with foolish family and friends? We can continue praying for and positively influencing others for Christ without opening up the boundary, leading to our own destruction.
Years ago, before the internet and gofundme accounts (the dark ages, right?), salesmen sold their wares door-to-door. One of the number one rules good salesmen follow is "don't take 'no' for an answer." Opening the door to a salesman meant sacrificing the next 30 minutes to 4 hours of time, depending on how persistent the salesman was. Ultimately, with relentless salesmen, the solution came down to just closing the door.
Protecting ourselves from foolish influence comes down to the same thing--gently but firmly closing the door, not allowing certain relationships to cross the threshold of our lives.
