Latest / Grounded Growth / Boundaries That Protect Your Peace
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- Steph Mic: Hi, welcome back to this week's episode. Today we are talking about boundaries and why they are essential if you are wanting to protect your peace. See, so many women try to live calm lives. But they do it without having a protection of structure and a lot of what we talk about at grounded growth has to do with Intentional structures and systems We want to talk about why boundaries feel hard in this episode, what happens when we avoid them, and how to start building healthy boundaries. We also talk about how boundaries connect to our faith and stewardship. And by the end of this episode, we want you to feel permission to start protecting your peace. And you cannot build a peaceful life without protective boundaries. And I think one reason that boundaries feel so hard is because many of us were never actually taught how to set them in a healthy way. Or even if we practice them, they're not received well. And so I am going to be ⁓ talking about the book Boundaries, When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life. This is a book by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, and I highly recommend reading it. is a book about boundaries, ⁓ with Christian morals. Nicole Mic: ⁓ why are boundaries feel so hard? I think ⁓ that this can, ⁓ it's really between people, but kind of picked out and bullet pointed just like a handful of kind of ⁓ synopsis for you. So many of were raised to believe no is selfish. I think that's one of the biggest things that we don't want to upset somebody feeling taught to be helpful and agreeable versus quote unquote, we're being selfish. Nicole Ghirardi: Hi, welcome to Grounded Growth Podcast. I'm Nicole Girardi. And I'm Stephanie Petry. We believe that grounded growth comes from being intentional about compassionate connections that are beautifully balanced while flourishing in faithfulness. Each week we will share real conversations, encouragement, and simple systems to help build a life that feels steady, aligned, and grounded. So sit back, maybe grab a coffee, and join us where clarity meets calm and growth feels intentional. Stephanie Petry: And I'm Stephanie Petry. We believe that grounded growth comes from being intentional about compassionate connections that are beautifully balanced while flourishing in faithfulness. Each week we will share real conversations, encouragement, and simple systems to help build a life that feels steady, aligned, and grounded. So sit back, maybe grab a coffee, and join us where clarity meets calm and growth feels intentional. Before we dive in, if you want to make sure you never miss a conversation, hit that subscribe or follow button. Nicole Mic: we say no or that we're creating those boundaries for us. ⁓ feeling the guilt that we have with that ⁓ really... Feeling like we disappoint you we nobody wants to feel like we're disappointing someone and I feel like that plays a big factor of that so Associating the kindness with the availability has always been the right thing to do versus saying I'm sorry. I don't have time And you know, that's a big thing of I know with me is is that I want to feel supportive I want to be able to help stuff as much as I possibly can ⁓ a lot of times we jump over those boundaries when Steph completely understands that Nicole Ghirardi: Before we dive in, if you want to make sure you never miss a conversation, hit that subscribe or follow button right now on whatever app you're listening on. Stephanie Petry: right now on whatever app you're listening on. Nicole Mic: you have boundaries and being able to do that. So I feel like that's one of them. I think another one we have is that we fear how people will react we change access to us. So, you know, we have all of those friends that we've grown through high school and college and life and all of the things and they expect you to be the same person. Well, of course, there's different seasons in life. And once we set ourselves up that we feel that we've always said yes to Steph, you know, it's it's going to it's going to feel hard that, know. Nicole Ghirardi: you for joining us for another episode of Grounded Growth. We hope today brought you clarity, encouragement, and a gentle reminder that you're not walking this journey alone. If this episode spoke to you, we'd love for you to share it, subscribe, and leave a review. We'll see you next week. Until then, Stephanie Petry: Thank you joining us for another episode of Grounded Growth. ⁓ We hope brought you clarity, encouragement, and a gentle reminder that you're not walking this journey alone. If this episode spoke to you, we'd love for you to share it, subscribe, and leave a review. We'll see you next week. Until then, Nicole Mic: We're fearing that they're not going to like us anymore and that we're disappointing and that we're like, you know, creating conflict between the two of us because all of a sudden it's like, ⁓ Nicole said no to to doing something on Sunday or Nicole said, you know, no going out to the wineries instead of going to the kids ⁓ football or whatever the case may be. And I think that that's really kind of one of the biggest fears that we have is is that we don't want to create that conflict. We don't want to create confrontation with our friends. Nicole Ghirardi: stay grounded and keep growing. Stephanie Petry: stay grounded keep growing. Nicole Mic: And we also don't want to feel like we're misunderstood from it all. So ⁓ seen differently is scary for us ⁓ lot of times. And ⁓ want you to know that it's really growth. It's not you shouldn't fear that it is that you're protecting what's important to you. Those non-negotiables ⁓ creating those boundaries really do matter. You know, and a lot ⁓ of capacity women often believe that they should be able to handle more. And we are all given the same 24 hours and that we have to be able. ⁓ to carry the load that we're supposed to have, not what we want to have or expected to have. And that's a huge factor because we are so used to carrying so much because we're a mom, we're a wife, we're a brother, a sister, or anything that we're doing plus on top of it we're working and that we take it all and we carry so much. So I feel like that's really kind of a big thing. Another thing about it is that I feel like pride gets in our way. ⁓ of being able to have that, it's us being capable of doing it all and that we don't want to ask for help and feeling like you should manage it all and just not recognizing when we've exceeded our capacity. Been there, done that. ⁓ so glad that the boundaries with me have completely changed in over the last year. But ⁓ we have remember that the boundaries is not rejection. ⁓ you know, it's just like when Steph says no to me, like I'm not going to, unfortunately, like say, ⁓ she doesn't like me anymore. And that she doesn't want to hang out with me. I must've done something wrong. And we start getting it all in our head that we're hurting someone or that we're doing something wrong. And then in vice versa, when, you know, it's our mindset that we have of, well, Stephanie's, know, Nicole's going to think this and you know, she's going to think I'm mad at her and everything. We need to get over it because none of that really, really is the why. we can't create the boundaries. We have to create the boundaries to protect ourselves, to protect our priorities, to protect our family. And that's just kind of, it's the sustainability, not really being able to just say, hey, this is a distance between us, I can't hang out. And that's really important, I think. Steph Mic: I am the one who shows up for everyone. Like that is something that I have told myself is even an identity that I used to believe. And though it might be true, I'm realizing that through boundaries, I am not needing to be that person for everyone. I can't help or fix everybody. ⁓ And so I think for many of us, boundaries feel hard because they go against what we've trained ourselves to do. or even been trained to do. We've learned to be available. We've learned to be helpful and dependable to say yes and step in and fill those gaps. And I'm not saying that it's never okay to do that. It is if it. goes within your core values, and it goes within what matters most to you. And if you're in the season to be able to give. So when it comes time to set a boundary, it doesn't just feel uncomfortable. It can sometimes even feel wrong. ⁓ And so there's guilt and fear when you're setting boundaries. And that thought of, will they think of me, just like you were saying? And. Until I met somebody that had healthy boundaries and I saw it like I lived on the other side of it It didn't feel wrong. It didn't feel rude It didn't feel it just felt like they were solid and what they knew they needed for their family and they had a solid Why and I'm like, whoa, I want that And it's not that you have to justify your no. That's something big in the boundaries book. why because I know it's a solid why. ⁓ I don't know if this is coming across right. I'm going to go ⁓ So you don't have to justify your no. ⁓ You don't have to like over explain when you are setting a boundary and that's really big in that book. However, sometimes I'll catch myself just explaining my why or saying, I've already said yes to this, so I have to say no to that. If nothing else, I think it's leading by example. I think it is showing someone else how to set a boundary well and still love them well. And that is something that you can do with friends. And I think that's something that we need to be better at. Instead of comparing or assuming things of each other, we need to be learning from each other. And how did you get to that? idea and how do I start applying that? So a quote from the book, if you continue to blame other people for making you feel guilty, they still have power over you. So that was Henry Cloud from Boundaries and that hit me because it shifts the responsibility back to us. sometimes we say expect too much or they make me feel bad, ⁓ but the reality ⁓ we're the ones are still saying yes. We're the ones still allowing them in. That's the problem, not the other people. so you have to protect your peace. Boundaries feel hard because they require us to take ownership ⁓ our choices, of our emotions, and of our limits. Nicole Mic: what makes this even harder is when we don't have boundaries, we often don't notice the damage right away. But over time, it starts show up. So what happens when you don't have boundaries? Steph Mic: we don't have boundaries life starts to feel very overwhelming very quick You say yes too often suddenly your schedule is full ⁓ but heart feels drained and so you're not fully present in it either and you feel stretched too thin ⁓ and emotionally even spiritually you're just not You know hitting the mark and even if we're honest resentment starts to creep in Not because people are asking too much, but because we're giving more than we were meant to give And so you lose clarity on what actually matters because everything feels urgent And then you start feeling responsible because you said yes to this thing. So now you've got to follow through. And so your peace starts to disappear and you feel like you're constantly reacting instead of living with intention. This is where burnout often begins. Not from doing too little, but from carrying too much that was never yours to carry. So, so true. And I think. Nicole Mic: So so true and I I'm gonna go back a little bit with the resentment because I wrote that down for us ⁓ talk about too because you know a lot of times resentment often replaces the compassion that we originally were trying to give and that we constantly think that we're giving the compassion to being able to do the things but then we do start resenting everything that we do and the people around us ⁓ we're saying yes when we want to say no, ⁓ we're trying to in our mind think that we're helping when we're actually creating the chaos for us and that you know there's a moment especially in heavy seasons that we have is is that giving can be really draining that's when we need to say no instead of saying yes you know where that's where that resentment becomes ⁓ ⁓ flourishes versus what the compassionate part that we've always wanted to ⁓ do ⁓ you know I think a lot of it is is that when we don't have burnout is completely normal. is natural. It's going to happen because we have no line to cross to say, okay, we have, we've hit our max. And so you're feeling constantly exhausted. mean, heck, I was completely this way last year. And so being able to have that burnout. I mean, we don't want to hit rock bottom, but a lot of us don't realize it until we hit rock bottom. And that's when we say, well, crap, need boundaries. And that way I don't create this again. And so you're not giving yourself the recovery time that you need. And you're feeling mentally overloaded. And it's just not even just the mental symptoms, the physical symptoms. ⁓ was drained to the point of being so burnt out that I went from just super busy, working out, and doing all the things to. ⁓ I was in bed, I was tired, I didn't want to go and do anything and then I was forced to say... No to everyone because my body just couldn't handle it anymore. So you start living reactively instead of intentionally and proactively. And so those constant interruptions is what's causing us to just turn and go down the wrong path. you know, stop letting the urgency control your day. You have to have those boundaries. then that way, then it's not everything is urgent anymore. And that is so hard for me to accept because in my eyes, my planner is everything is equal and I'm supposed to do all of the things, but I've realized that that's not possible anymore. And that's where I've created my priorities. You're not creating your space with priorities if you don't have boundaries because you don't know what you're protecting anymore. And that piece is what becomes just the temporary instead of the sustainable because we're just craving for that. And we're only feeling calm. when nothing is needed from us. So we only feel calm when nothing is needed from us. Well when is there a time in our lives that nothing is needed from us? We're mothers, we're women, we're working. There's constantly that. So our peace is disappearing quickly and the nose structure is protecting not our energy, not us physically. It's not protecting anything and that's where we have to stop. We realize we're unstable right now with what's going on. We're emotional, we're exhausted, we're burnt out, and we finally have to realize that the peace is what's gonna need to give us that protection that we truly need. Steph Mic: that the peace is what's going to need to give us A couple things that you mentioned that just had me thinking, like what happens when we don't have boundaries? Well, what's the type of woman that we are seeking to be? And I do not want to be that woman that is coming in, providing dinner for church, and complaining about it. day long and you know come in exhausted and look like a hot mess Express and I'm not saying you did that Nicole I am just using as an example or coming into like a lead a Bible study and you will come in and you look so drained and you're like, my heart's just not in it today And I'm just so exhausted or you're that person that every time someone says hey, how are you doing? I'm busy ⁓ and like that's not that's not the kind of I want to be I want to be a woman I presence. I want to be a woman of peace. I want to be a woman that is coming in, living her life intentionally, and having a joyful attitude with what I've said yes to. And then the other part of what you said was recovery. You're not giving yourself enough recovery time. if know that you are in a busy month or a busy week, need to schedule recovery time for that. Because if you have already reached burnout, then you're in SOS survival mode and you're going to start saying no to what you've already said yes to ⁓ just to kind of calm yourself. And we don't want to be that. wishy washy back out kind of girl either. ⁓ it all just takes some intentionality. It takes some practice. It's going to not work out the way you thought you are going to have to back out. You're going to catch yourself say, ⁓ I'm just so exhausted all the time. But let that be your wake up call. Let that be your like, hey, maybe I do need to look into this boundaries thing. So I think that this is where we sometimes misunderstand boundaries, because they aren't about controlling people. They are actually about creating clarity. Oh, it's so true. And so. Nicole Mic: Oh and so true and so with that let's really figure out what boundaries actually are and So because a lot of people have different perspectives of how boundaries are I think that these are kind of ⁓ fall into the first thing I think of is clarity is Boundaries are the clarity of what you're responsible for so knowing what is yours to carry Okay versus what everyone else is carrying We can't compare. talked about comparison last last episode. We can't compare what Stephanie carries to what Nicole carries. We're two different people. knowing what is yours to carry, what is not yours to carry, and separating the responsibility from the compassion. And that's where you really have to ⁓ deep and know your why and know your core values to really understand what is your boundaries of this is a straight no, this is a straight yes and move kind of go from there. And so then that way, then you really understand your healthy limits of what is right, what is wrong and where do I want to be able to fall into. And like Steph said, who do I want to become? Because every day we wake up and we are in the mindset of we want to be a better version of ourselves. Well, what is that? because if we're continuing to choose the same habits and this, and you know, crossing in the same boundaries, we're creating ourselves into the realm of insanity because we're going to be living the same day, day in and day out. And that's where you have to be able to understand that boundaries are the guidelines, not your emotional walls. And so boundaries are not shutting people out. Okay. ⁓ know that these are all things that I have thought. Okay, boundaries are not shutting people out. It is protecting you. and the things that are important to you. And they define how people interact with you. I have, which we get to talk about this next episode, but I ⁓ love how Stephanie supports her Sabbath day. And so it has really given me the inspiration to really research and understand that. And so it's being able to see like, ⁓ I love that boundary. When she first said it, I thought she was crazy. And I'm like, You do nothing on Sunday. You don't work. You don't meal plan. You don't I'm like Sundays are my date And so it's being able to really realize that when we have our boundaries We start knowing noticing every people everyone else's boundaries, too And so we're creating ourselves those expectations and giving us that predictability of Knowing what we're going to be doing on a regular basis So it's really helping helping us function better Boundaries also are managing your capacity. I mean, I don't know how many times we can really say it is it's protecting your time. It's protecting your emotional energy. It's protecting your focus. It's protecting your limits and you're leading your life intentionally for what God had your purpose for. And that's super, super important because we get into the worldly ways of everyone's doing everything and we got to go back and like really realize what we're here for and what we should be saying yes to. And then my last thought about boundaries are that it's a form of leadership. Bringing the business side into it, ⁓ have been able to really. create those boundaries of when I'm working, when I'm not working, when I'm protecting that time for the kids, taking ownership of my life and taking ownership of what my task should be versus what should be delegated in somebody else's and not going into their boundaries of handling the things that you do. micromanaging plays a big role into that and that's a huge weakness for people that are perfectionist and you're fighting that each day but that boundary is what protects you. So not waiting for others to change because you're changing yourself because you're creating those boundaries to protect yourself and really operating from the intention instead of all the pressure that we've got going on. Steph Mic: and really operating from the intention And again, it's a misconception that boundaries are harsh or selfish. That's really not what they are at all. Boundaries are actually about kindness to yourself and as well to others. They're about taking ownership of your own wants, needs, and feelings. But first, you have to know what those are. It surprises me how many people don't even know Like, what do you want? what do you need ⁓ what are you feeling in this ⁓ or in this moment? ⁓ And so you do have to kind of dig into there first ⁓ that can be hard. ⁓ saying I'm responsible for what's mine and I'm gonna steward it well. ⁓ This is beyond yourself. This is your people, your family, the people that live in your home. That is also your responsibility to set boundaries for. ⁓ Those are when I talk about family yeses, that's what I'm talking about. we are very specific with the types of things we allow outside of school hours in our home because we aren't willing to say yes to a ton of things that gets us out of the home too much. ⁓ And we prioritize church and that is something that our family has chosen to make a boundary. ⁓ I from Henry Cloud's book. The boundaries aren't about controlling other people. They're about deciding what you will allow and what you will carry. ⁓ So again, not pointing fingers at anyone else. You are just stating this is what I would like and this is how I will do it. ⁓ And you also need to realize that the truth is it's not quick or easy like this is not going to be a simple task. ⁓ And a lot of times it's going to feel like you're kind of getting out of your comfort zone a little bit if this is new to you. And sometimes you might come across too abrasive and you learn, you learn as you go. Sometimes we're drawn to relationships where people push past our limits because it makes us feel needed. I mean, when we try and set a boundary and someone really wants us to direct the choir, and I had my son's first communion that Sunday, I had to say no, because that was more important to me was to be with my son for his first communion and not be directing the choir at that time. And so you have to say no to good things. And that's OK. ⁓ But sometimes we're drawn to that because it makes us feel important because we're wanted and we're needed And we love to feel that way about ourselves. But healthy relationships, it is those relationships that actually respect your boundaries and they don't fight them. ⁓ And those are the types of people that you need to be embracing and bringing into your life. The ones that try and take advantage, the ones that are pushing past your boundary or ignoring them completely, goodbye. Like you need to distance yourself. I'm not saying you have to cut them out completely, but there's people that have influence in your life that you bring into your home and you bring into your mental space and you allow them to speak into your life. And then there's people that you are just, you know, acquaintances with and you're kind and you're nice and you can even have fun with them, but those aren't the people you're allowing to speak into your life. that's more what I'm talking about with those healthy relationships. Boundaries create clarity and clarity creates healthier connections. Nicole Mic: boundaries create clarity and clarity creates healthier connections. And so once we understand the real question becomes what does this actually look like in everyday life? Steph Mic: So boundaries don't have to be complicated to be powerful. So here's some examples saying, can't commit to that right now. I'm not answering every message immediately. Protecting time in your day for rest or quiet. Having a clear end to your work day and choosing not to carry someone else's emotional responsibility. I have personal experience with all of these. I remember there was a time with work. teaching music during COVID on virtual, crazy. But I remember I would have to literally close my laptop and I'd have a post-it ⁓ it would ⁓ help me pray, Lord, help me believe that I have done your will for the day. Like, ⁓ I just wouldn't feel like I did enough. I wasn't, I wasn't just, I didn't feel like I was there in the way I wanted to be. And so I remember, I remember having to do that. that. ⁓ So you don't have to, you don't stop needing boundaries just because you're in a professional environment ⁓ So I mentioned work, right? So you have professional boundaries as well. In fact, having boundaries between work life and your home life ⁓ is what allows you to be fully present in both. And the more that you practice them, the more natural they become. And it's not easy, but it does become clearer and stronger and more aligned with who you're becoming. Nicole Mic: Love, love, love, love, love And I love examples because it's like, ⁓ yeah, ⁓ I am. It's to say I can't ⁓ commit right now me and not responding right I am so bad because I don't like the banners on my phone that I do read them. And then I like I'm like, ⁓ I'm going to respond later. But then it's constantly in my head and I like feel like I have to. And then life gets in the way and then like Steph Mic: because it's like, yeah. It's hard to say. That I do read then it's constantly in my head and I feel like I have to. And then life gets in the way and then two days later I respond to stuff and I'm yeah, this happened. And stuff thinks that I died or something because I didn't respond to her. But it's those things that are the boundaries are just so important. Nicole Mic: Two days later, respond to Steph saying, ⁓ yeah, like this happened in Nicole. mean, Steph thinks that I like died or something because I didn't respond to her. But it's those things that are the boundaries are just so important. And I kind of, what I did was I kind of wrapped it up into four simple boundaries that I feel like everyone should have. The first one is time boundaries. So not overfilling your schedule, protecting your planning time because we are huge people about planning. Take your weekly reset. If it's not weekly, take time. 10 minutes in the morning to be able to do it. Protecting your planning time gives you that stability throughout the day, and you can really see where you can say yes and you can say no to things. Protecting your recovery time that rest time, you know for the longest time I've had to time block rest into my schedule because I can just go a mile a minute ⁓ when my phone pops up and gives me that reminder I know exactly ⁓ like that's what I really started doing like where like you can set a bedtime On your on your watch. So I do it an hour and a half earlier So then that way then I can start getting my head into the routine and then that way my phone my phone completely shuts off my watch stretched off and it just it's that's my rest time to be able to do the things that I need to do. ⁓ saying yes immediately Steph already said that one ⁓ giving yourself time to decide that's still a constant working ⁓ for me. But next boundaries kind of ⁓ category is communication not responding immediately like we talked about don't feel obligated to explain I'm really, really, really, really bad about this. I always feel like I have to explain so then that way somebody doesn't get upset with me. But I'm learning. I'm learning. It's ⁓ process. definitely don't feel like you have to explain yourself every time. creating those response windows. So ⁓ it is you reading it and then staff always says, well then just mark it on red. And I'm like, yeah, that's not as easy as like in my brain. So, but engaging in every conversation that you feel like you need to be a part of, especially I feel like this is ⁓ in work environment a lot or I mean, even if you're at church, like you don't have to be part of every conversation and feel and have that. So protect mental space. So then of course we've got the emotional boundaries not carrying everyone else's emotions. It's really hard you know for us to not be able to do that but we need we need to do that. We need to protect ourselves there. Stop absorbing. Stop being a sponge. We we have to be able to live our and take care of ourselves before we can take care of anyone else and taking on other people's emotions and support and trying to support with that is just is just not functional for us. recognizing that it's not yours to solve and protecting that emotional stability. But my last category I want to talk about is energy, is recognizing what drains you. And if you don't, know what drains you, you need to look at your mood. You need to talk to the people around you because, you know, the whole hangry eat a Snickers commercial, like that's when I know my energy is exhausted because the people around me see it. And so being able to acknowledge that. And if you need help, ask your friends because I'm sure they will. They can tell when your energy is drained and be intentional about your commitments. That's a big one for energy, because because you can do all of the things, but if you're not intentional, it's not giving you purpose, and that's gonna turn into a mental overload as well. you know, protecting your high focus time too. So I work way better in the mornings than I do in the afternoons. So I protect my mornings for the productive things that I need to do for work. So then that way then I give myself more time in the afternoons for the things that aren't so ⁓ overloading things to that. sort. So just know when to step back ⁓ and choose what deserves your best energy. Steph Mic: in the afternoons for the things that aren't so overloading and things of that sort. just know when to step back and choose what Something that we both believe strongly in is that boundaries aren't just practical, they are actually spiritual too. Nicole Mic: I am going to read from Philippians chapter four, verses six through Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Steph Mic: I think this is where boundaries and faith connect in such a powerful way. Because if we are consistently overwhelmed, anxious, and stretched thin, it's often a sign that we're carrying things that we were never meant to hold. This verse reminds us that peace doesn't come from managing everything perfectly. It comes from bringing everything to God. So often when we're seeking peace, when we're constantly seeking peace, we might be too focused on our own circumstances and ourselves really, instead of fixing our eyes on Christ. ⁓ And that is something that's hit me hard this week and something I've actually been journaling about. peace does not prevent pain. It doesn't mean that everything going to be easy or that you won't go through hard seasons. However, ⁓ it does guard us. It us steady to Christ when life feels overwhelming. ⁓ So even though ⁓ we be so ⁓ on the circumstance, we to let that go in order to trust the Lord. and understand the peace that he's providing us. And it's going to surpass our understanding. That's the most amazing thing about it. so boundaries are one way that we can live that out. ⁓ They help us to release what isn't and return to what is. ⁓ And they create space for us to to God instead of trying to manage ⁓ everything on our own. ⁓ This verse particular is one that I am ⁓ That I just absolutely adore it is the verse the book of the Bible actually that opened my eyes to faith and It was this one in particular about the piece that surpasses understanding ⁓ That just got me because I was in a place I was actually in the hospital with my husband and I just I had to surrender literally everything and I truly did turn my turned my life over from control to peace and it's been one of the biggest pieces of my faith that I've noticed throughout my journey is that I have a peace in Christ in the hard times and I'm able to look back at what he has brought me through. ⁓ don't need to work to earn anything. I can rely and trust that Christ did the perfect work for me. I don't need to be in control anymore because I serve a God that is in control of all things and that gives me freedom and peace. Nicole Mic: love love love it and Steph kind of really dove deep into the peace part I just want to bring a little of the boundaries and just want to say that Jesus modeled boundaries constantly in the Bible ⁓ that you know he withdrew to pray So he's creating that boundary that praying was important to him. He was not meeting every demand that was given to him. he stayed aligned with his assignment on why he was here. and as well as he protected his time with his father, like being able, I mean, if Jesus can do that and be able to set aside everything ⁓ and ⁓ create the boundary of protecting his time with his father and praying. And, you know, it's just, he demonstrated so many intentional limits that that's where God wants us to have boundaries to protect ourselves and to protect why he created us. And that's really, I feel like a huge part of understanding, as well as, you know, stewardship includes protecting what God gave us. And so God gave us time. God gave us energy. God gave us a calling. God gave us peace. And those are all resources that we have because of God. And we need to protect our time for that because the stewardship is requires protection. that's really kind of the whole whole piece of that is is just making sure that we're protecting ourselves so then that way we can be the people that we need to be. So many boundaries. aren't doing less, maybe they're about making sure that we're doing what's the most important. Steph Mic: ⁓ So in closing, if boundaries feel hard for you, you're not alone. This is something we're all learning, especially as women who care deeply and want to show up well. I do want to remind you, you are allowed to have limits because you do have limits. but we serve a limitless God. You are allowed to say no and not justify it. You are allowed to choose peace instead of chaos, and it won't be perfect overnight. It takes practice and courage and consistency. And on the other side of boundaries is freedom, clarity, and a deeper sense of peace. It is something that is instilled in you and that is going to be tangible almost to the people around you. So maybe this week you don't try to change everything. You just choose one place to start, a small, healthy boundary in one area of your life. Not out of guilt and not out of pressure, but from a place of stewardship and trust. Nicole Mic: So, true. And I think that boundaries is what gets easier with practice. know, we're not going to fine tune this and it going to be perfect this first go around. So, first boundaries feel really uncomfortable. Competence is what grows with the use of being able to create those boundaries. People will adjust over time. clarity improves the relationship. So the more clearer we can be with our friends and our family about our boundaries, the more it's going to mean not only for yourself feeling that you've explained yourself, but it's also then them understanding where you are and why you're making those boundaries. But overall boundaries are not about pushing people away, but protecting what matters most. with that, with just a quick little teaser talking all boundaries, we on our next episode is diving into Sabbath And rest so hard and why our souls it. So until next time, we will see you guys later. Bye. ⁓ Steph Mic: Bye!