I find it easier to practice boundaries within the context of spiritual direction than I do the flow of life and responsibilities outside of those relationships. This became clear to me after re-reading Boundaries by psychologists Henry Cloud and John Townsend [Zondervan, 1992].  Nearly twenty years after first reading this best seller, I still surprise myself some days by being clear and relaxed as a spiritual director, only to lose my sense of groundedness moments later in another setting. What can we learn from spiritual direction relationships that helps us keep practicing boundaries in others?

Henri Nouwen observed that Rublev's Icon of the Trinity (1425 A.D.) would leave us in distant awe of the divine mystery if it did not so profoundly invite us into deeper intimacy with God (Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons, Ave Maria Press: 1987. Kindle Edition, location 143). The icon reveals something important to us about vocation, Nouwen suggests, if we look closely enough to notice the circle and the cross.