“Applied internally, reconciliation involves setting boundaries and restoring peace among the adversarial members of your internal family.”-Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.”- Luke 11:17
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”- Michael Corleone, The Godfather, Part II
In Chapter 8(“Step Five: Integrate”) of Boundaries for Your Soul, Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller discuss Jesus’ warning about a house divided. First, though, the authors encourage you to use Jesus’ warning as inspiration for an undivided heart. In the process, you turn your internal enemies into your greatest allies.
Another word for house divided = polarized. Psychologist Richard Schwartz defines polarization as “a state in which two members (or groups) . . . relate in opposition to or in competition with each other to the point where each party’s access to the Self is constrained by fear that the other party will win or take over.”
Therefore, it’s essential to connect with the conflicting dimensions of your soul using your Spirit-led self. As you begin, explore how your conflicted soul parts can learn from each other. Then they can walk together to achieve their common goal: helping your internal family thrive.
In conclusion, as you minister in prayer to hurting aspects of yourself, you build your own team of rivals. And you transform them into cooperating members of your internal family. Alison and Kim explain:
” . . . as individuals, we flourish when we have confidence in our arguments and the courage to listen to our opponents, giving them the benefit of the doubt. . . . Don’t stop listening to people– or to the parts of yourself — who disagree with you. Put yourself in their shoes and seek to understand their perspective. You won’t like everything they say, but you’ll make better decisions if you hear them out.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures help you in setting boundaries and restoring peace in your soul? Please share.
Coming Monday: the new Short Meditation, “The sacrament of the present moment”
Tomorrow’s blog: “The ecology of your soul – cultivating an internal garden”
