The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

Respecting Others’ Boundaries

In the second half of this verse we see “the golden rule”: Treat others as we would want to be treated. Loving others as commanded in Leviticus 19:18 goes beyond just doing good deeds. It also means respecting their choices and the boundaries they set up. We respect their right to tell us no. When we do this, two things happen:

1. Respecting others’ boundaries helps us deal with our selfishness. When we are concerned about protecting others’ freedoms, we work against the self-centeredness that is part of our fallen nature. We become more other-centered. There is no selfish gain in embracing another’s freedom to say no. The gain is that we have grown.

2. Respecting others’ boundaries increases our capacity to care about others. It isn’t difficult to love the “lovable” aspects of others. It’s another task, however, when we encounter another’s resistance, confrontation or separateness. We may find ourselves in conflict or not getting something we might want from the other person. So we learn to be empathic and patient with them, loving them as ourselves (see Galatians 5:14).

Taken from NIV Life Journey Bible