Boundaries Show Ownership

Yesterday
On January 1, Jaime and I went to have our first massage in Beijing (and our first massage of the new year). Bodhi Sense has a very relaxing environment, walking up the stairs there is a cascading water fall to the left on a sunken set of stair steps. The lights are all dimmed. The music is soothing. The massages were also very nice. This was our Christmas present to one another. We got Chinese massages (no oil, clothes on), they were the cheapest. We wanted to try out the place before we bought into a package deal. They have memberships, that have deep discounts, but really the prices go up and up. Then we walked over to Bite-a-Pitta for dinner. I'm going to have to start ordering something other than the Falafel and Hummus Sandwhich.

The Daily Bible - Genesis 4-5
The descendants of Seth and Cain show how children can follow their father's faith or lack thereof. Thus how important it is to have godly character and instill this character in the succeeding generations as early as possible to ensure godliness thrives throughout the world.

Boundaries in Marriage - Chapter 1, What's a Boundary, Anyway?
Ownership... A person must own their feelings. One must know who they are, how they feel, and be responsible for their actions and feelings.

This reminds me of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God comes asking what happened to them, "Why are you hiding?" and Adam responds, it is the woman that you gave me, she made me do this. Eve responded, the snake made me do it. If they were honest, recognizing their own sin, they could fess up and say, "I did it. I wanted to eat the fruit because I wanted to be like you God."

Taking ownership of one's actions, reactions, thoughts, and feelings requires an increasing level maturity. To grow beyond years into a true mature adult, requires ownership of every personal trait whether good or bad. One must accept that, "I am responsible to make the changes I want to see in myself, in others, and in the world. I cannot blame others for what I myself have not been willing to do. While I cannot control others, I can control myself. In controlling myself, I can influence others to become all that God wants them to be. If I do not control myself, then I should expect that my influence on others will be negative."

Prayer
Father God, merciful Savior, gracious Lord, You alone are able to empower us to find your Spirit to truly have self control. I pray that You continue to grow your Spirit's power in me, those around me, and in this world. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will transform this world into Your Kingdom. May I submit to your authority, commanding my spirit to be in line with Your Spirit, so that Your abundant blessings will be available for me to bless others. Thank you for Jesus' sacrifice that allows me to talk directly with You, to receive your blessings, and to share Your mercy with others.