Entangled Relationships: Implementing Biblical Boundaries

In this episode, Silvia Mendez joins us to unpack the concept of boundaries through a biblical lens. Relationships are such a gift, but they can be sticky blessings to manage when they become entangled. Silvia shares phenomenal insight and many passages to help us identify unhealthy patterns and untrue narratives and encourages us to let God renew our minds for His glory and our ultimate good. 

About the Speaker:
Silvia Mendez has been a grateful disciple for 33 years. She is the proud mother of two amazing adult children: Luis Jr. & Jennay. Silvia was happily married for 28 years to an incredible man of faith, Luis, who has now gone on to be with the Lord.  For three years Silvia has been adjusting to life as a widow, but she continues to work and serve as a women’s ministry leader. Silvia loves learning new things every day and is deeply grateful to have the Lord walking beside her on this new chapter of her life. 

Episode Notes:
Galatians 6:2-5: Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.

Concepts and Material Inspired from: Spiritual Discovery by Jim & Virginia Lefler 

Distinguishing between loads and burdens in interpersonal relationships. 

Entangled Relationship: One or both parties have unhealthy patterns that lead to some type of disfunction or strife. 

Codependency defined in this lesson from Galatians 6: Carrying someone’s load or giving someone else your load to carry. 

Burden is anything that makes a weight too heavy to carry on your own: physically, mentally or spiritually.

Examples of Burdens we strive to help one another with:

• Need for guidance or encouragement 
• Need for food or clothing (James 2:15-16) 
• Loss of loved one (James 1:27) 
• Sickness, Disease, trauma or other life crisis (Romans 12:10)

Load comes from the Greek word for portion, used to describe a soldier’s pack. 

Examples of Loads that we all are meant to carry ourselves: 

• Working to provide for your necessities (plan, budget)
• Fulfilling responsibilities at work & at home (Col 3:23-24)
• Being accountable for your choices and decisions and owning the consequences. (Proverbs 19:3) 
• Being responsible for your own emotions- including your own happiness. 
• Being responsible for our sin and personal walks with God 

Satan plants lies and narratives that will tempt us to overstep healthy boundaries. Most of these are rooted in either:

• Entitlement
• Fear
• Shame 

Cool translation of James 1:27- “One of the purest and most undefiled demonstrations of the gospel is to move towards hard places and broken people, not away from them”

What are the lies that I’ve bought into that God wants me to be free from?

What is God’s truth? What does HE say about me?