Stories of a Sparrow

Boundaries: 

In this Episode we are talking about Boundaries, what it means to have boundaries and how they can be a healthy good thing in your life and in your relationships. We believe we should all have them in our relationships in the workplace and in our family. First we talk about how Boundaries are a personal thing, we cannot control or set boundaries for another person, so we have to set our own property lines in relationships with other people. We can only control us, our actions, our emotions. Then we go on to discuss what it looks like to say, NO. We can become so addicted to saying yes to please people or to not cause them harm or inconvenience them, and we often put everyone else's needs before our own. It is okay to say no, you have to draw the line and see what you are sacrificing for yourself or your family. We talk about what it looks like to live in freedom and not be bound to making other people happy. We talk about how sometimes boundaries can be difficult to set in a relationship because even in a loving relationship can have unhealthy boundaries. There are so many important boundaries that need to be there for a family, like when to put your phone down and focus on family, when to leave work at work and be present in the moment. 

Resources talked About in this Episode 

Boundaries in Marriage- Henry Cloud and John Townsend

The Best Yes- Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands 

In this Episode we try to break the silence a little and have a conversation about sex that a lot of people aren't having but maybe should be. We talk about some of the things we have struggled with individually such as sexpectations, negative feelings towards sex, self confidence and not loving the way our bodies look, hurt carried from before marriage, battles of the mind, feeling like a 'Velcro Mom'. We talk about the importance of  communicating with your spouse about sex about any struggles you are having concerning sex but to also share your likes and dislikes, God made us all different and we need to be able to tell our husbands what is going on in our heads when it comes to sex, they want to know! The three of us grew up in similar environments where sex wasn't really talked about except to tell us not to do it, and where there is some truth and well meaning behind that approach, there was also a lack of explaining the gift it is from God to a husband and a wife and how it's okay to enjoy and explore that gift with your husband the way God designed it! So bring God into the bedroom, pray over your sex life, pray over the insecurities you have about sex. The three of us recall what sex was like in the earlier years of our marriage and how it has changed over the course of our relationships with time, kids, extra pounds, schedules and hormones. We share what has worked for us and our marriages and what we hope might be helpful to you as well. 

Resources talked About in this Episode 

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. - Rachel Hollis

Sheet Music - Dr Kevin Leman 

Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot - Mo Isom 

In this episode we discuss our struggle with the comparison game. The pressure that we feel on a daily basis to keep up. Thanks to social media we are constantly surrounded by people we don't even know who seem to have it all and have it all together at the same time! It's this highlight real life that draws us in and makes us feel very boring and lacking in the life we have been called to live. We start to question why, why can't I look like that? Why can't I have their house or their belongings, why can't I have the money to vacation there? We get sucked into this fake world that we cannot live up to and when we are driven by what we lack, we will never find happiness, joy or contentment. We talk about what it looks like to raise kids while navigating comparison and the expectations that we put on ourselves to have the most perfect Pinterest party or to breastfeed or bottle feed, or to give your kid the best Santa presents. Our challenge to ourselves and you is to continue to pour truth into your life, to step away from Instagram and Pinterest not that they are evil or bad, we all use them, but they can be distracting so silence the noise to discover and focus on who and what you love and not on what you lack. Learn to be content now, be happy and joyful in where you are and with what you have, don't feed yourself the lie that once you get that one thing then you will be content. Let's not waste our life on this earth being consumed with not being content with our life, let's focus on things that can make a difference in our own or someone else's eternity.