First Fruits Friday - Boundaries
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…
2 Timothy 3:16
"He's blowing up my phone. I get so stressed when he texts or calls. I don't know what to do." This client was going for an abortion because the father of the baby insisted on it. She already had a little girl and did not believe in abortion.
The father of the baby wanted to make sure that she just "got it done.” The client continued, "He says that he loves me but then blames me for everything and says mean words to me." This client was enduring a bout of codependency.
Codependency is an imbalanced sense of responsibility to please, rescue, fix, enable, and serve others, yet in the process losing one’s identity. It occurs when a person's need for love and security are not met.
The case manager had the client take out her phone to block the father's communication. She went about a week before he called from another number in order to get to her. His same bullying behavior continued. Healthy families teach people how to feel, trust, and talk. This young lady came from a household of mental illness and was abandoned by her father.
The Seneca management team has been closely monitoring this client - as she is still abortion vulnerable, if not abortion minded, at times. The influence of the Dad is forceful. This client needs proponents for life to stand with her and to pray. She and her small family, with loving support, will be okay.
Many of our clients at Seneca have a difficult time setting boundaries. They typically encounter the following challenges:
Difficulty seeing persons and situations realistically.
Belief that they are responsible for other's thoughts and actions.
Susceptibility to control by others or to control others.
Feeling unhealthy amounts of hurt and anger.
Feeling guilty over things the client has no control over.
Feeling that they live lives of loneliness without true intimacy.
Seneca will work with the client in setting healthy boundaries. Good boundaries are a screen door - they let fresh air in and keep bugs out. God is like a breath of fresh air.