Over the years I’ve become better at setting boundaries with others. That’s healthy and necessary — or at least it is when those boundary lines are drawn in love. But if the lines are drawn in fear they aren’t boundaries at all — they’re walls. Dallas Willard’s honest confession revealed in me some walls that need to come down:

“Some time ago I came to realize that I did not love the people next door. They were, by any standards, dangerous and unpleasant people — ex-bikers who made their living selling drugs…As I brooded over them one day, indulging my irritation, the Lord helped me see… I would secretly be happy if they died so that we could just be rid of them.”

Dallas goes on to encourage us with practical ways — including solitude, our focus this month — to be made into the kind of people who can love even scary people.

And for any extroverts for whom solitude feels intimidating, this week’s podcast is for you.

May your heart be soft and your mind be strong.