Boundaries

Yes, I'm still reading Divine Signatures - I really enjoy the way he expresses gospel topics.  It makes me think.  It helps me evaluate my own circumstances and, like the scriptures it brings the Spirit into my day.  No, I don't believe this book is scripture.  However, he does quote many scriptures and then talks about them. He also quotes the Prophets on various subjects in context with the scriptures or topic he's addressing.  The first one for this writing is a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson. "... We are here.  Our memories are veiled.  We are showing God and ourselves what we can do.  Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us."  I don't remember a time when I didn't believe in my Father-in-Heaven and believed that He knew me well - sometimes too well.  But the concept that I would know Him and His face - in other words his physical appearance - would be familiar to me was something I hadn't really contemplated or dwelt on too much.  When I have tried to visualize how He might look, I have come up with a face in the shadows.  Now - with just a little prodding. I remember that the Savior said, "Any man [woman] that knows me, knows my Father.  Well, I'm here to tell you that I don't ever see a painting of Christ that I don't recognize who it is - and no artist paints or conceptualizes His face the same way, but I definitely know who He is.  So ... if I recognize the canvas creations of Christ, it just makes sense that I will recognize Him in the flesh and His Father - my Father just as readily. 

The second quote is:  "Parents set up limits, boundaries, and lines because they know that an uncontrolled and undisciplines life can destroy a person. If they impose consequences and punishments when children do things to their own detriment or to the harm of others, this is a reflection of the parents' love." (Lund)

It follows that reason says that the converse is also true.  If a parent/parents allow their children to do what ever they want without guidance, boundaries or correction, they are demonstrating indifference to the child - or worse - a lack of love.  If we don't learn boundaries as children we may have to try to learn them as adults and the outcome may not be what we hope for.  I have personally observed the devastating effects of the lack of boundaries in a person's life.  I believe that "boundaries" is just another word for self-control or the lack thereof.  If we learn boundaries as children, we develop the ability to control ourselves and our life situations.  We develop the ability to prioritize, work, and treat others and things with respect.  We learn to respect ourselves and others.  We learn the value of obedience to temporal laws and God's laws.  Our prisons and jails are full of individuals who have never learned the importance of boundaries.  Today's prevailing attitude seems to be, "what is mine is mine - and what is yours is mine," and this type of attitude literally destroys.