[Darris McNeely] I recently did a Beyond Today Daily, where I talked about removing asbestos from your home. Getting out the toxic material that is a major part of a lot of older buildings, especially, and laws, regulations require that it all be removed. And I used that asbestos removal as a lead in to the idea that sometimes we are in kind of poisonous, toxic situations in relationships. And we have to remove either the toxin or remove ourselves.

I've had several people to comment about that, that it kind of hit a nerve with them. And of course, I gave that from the experience that I've had with myself through the years, but also in working with people even in recent times and helping people to understand that there are certain situations, you just got to remove yourself from.

The Proverb that I used was in Proverbs chapter 21:9, where it says, "Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman." And again, I'll be quick to point out that you could just as well put in there a contentious man. This is not a sexist Proverb that targets only women. When we have toxic relationships, then it is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop.

Today just to focus on that word in verse 9 of Proverbs 21, corner. The corner of a housetop, you know, a corner of a room, the corner of a housetop, it denotes a space but also a space that has a boundary in this sense. Really what the Proverb is saying is, set a boundary and maintain that boundary.

Healthy boundaries are important to healthy relationships in so many different ways. What we say to people, how we say things, what we address, what we choose to just pass over, and let go, and ignore perhaps at times. And not always pick away, not always bring up the negative, not always seek to find that loose brick in a house, the one brick you know that's gonna bring the whole wall down. Speak grace. Speak with kindness. Give people a pass. Don't find yourself in that contentious situation but draw the boundary. Create the corner in your mind, with your tongue, in your life. That is that corner, that healthy boundary by which you avoid being the one who is bringing about contention or problems and strife and/or the times you just remove yourself from that type of situation.

Why don't we go back over this particular topic once again? Maybe I'll do that a third time. But I hope it helps spark some thinking on your part as to what you can do to prevent being the one who brings contention but also how to deal in a healthy with that contention in your life.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.