Yours, Mine & Ours

God has given us various stewardships in life. He wants us to be faithful to handle them in a way that honors Him and there are boundaries to my stewardships – my stewardships are my responsibility before God and yours are yours, etc. The purpose of the family is to prepare and grow children into adulthood who carry the weight of their responsibilities well. Serious problems and dysfunction develops when I… • Break through the proper boundaries in family relationships and… o Obligate my family to come through for me and help me with my problems or stewardships (obligation kills relationships short-circuits gratitude = I’m not grateful for what’s expected) o Step into rescue my family when they are working through their problems and challenges • Act as if my extended family is obligated to do what I want them to Everybody should be expected to carry their load as they are able– especially adults. The goal with our children is to prepare them to carry their responsibilities. • Each of us has a circle of responsibility (things I’m responsible for in a given situation) and a circle of concern (things that are outside of my responsibility but that concern me) • I take God’s place in the life of my family when I consistent step in and play God by handling what concerns me but is not my responsibility • A key is to do what I need to do with my circle of responsibility and pray over my circle of concerns.