Frankly, On Faith: When it’s Time to Leave

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68

Frankly, On Faith.

Are you an emotional pack rat? Do you hold onto the past in hopes of rescuing those broken bits and pieces to make them whole? Do you stay in the game longer than you should?

When Jesus called His disciples, He told them to drop everything. They couldn’t move forward without letting go of what hindered them, and in the perspective of heaven versus earth, what hinders is, well, nearly everything.

It’s hard, right? Even now, as Christians, we want to make the best of things. It’s hard to see something crumble and let it be. We want to whip out our spiritual Super Glue and fix it all.

But we can’t. And we’re not supposed to.

There are times when the best we can do for ourselves, our peeps, our God, is to walk away and not look back. We’re cautioned so many times for our own good to just move forward. Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt when she glanced at the turmoil behind her. Jonah was swallowed by a whale when he refused to move on.

But what about the other side of the coin? What about when we’re ready and willing to move forward but those around us aren’t? Isn’t it our duty to stay and witness to them? Shouldn’t we do everything we can to bring others to God?

“If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message,
shake its dust from your feet as you leave.”
~Matthew 10:14 NLT

In this context, “refuses” isn’t someone saying, “No, thank you.” No, this is basically someone bolting the door and chaining the fence. You’re just not going to get through to them, no matter how hard you try!

When you’re in a situation so dark your own spiritual safety is at risk, when you know those around you will not budge, it’s okay to leave and not look back.

This doesn’t mean you stop praying for them, caring for them. But do so from a distance. Because when you leave behind those who don’t accept you, it puts you on another path toward those who will. It keeps you from falling into the quicksand of apathy, and firms the ground beneath you. It takes away those who detour your path to God.

When your path is clear of debris that could otherwise trip you up, you’re able to set your footing on solid ground. When you let go of what you shouldn’t hold on to, your hands are open to hold His.

Whether its people, circumstance, or your own past, sometimes leaving can be the best thing you can do.