Sometimes you have to make them go away

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Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. “Romans 16:17-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Sometimes you have to make them go away”

The first and primary way to create good boundaries with other people is with your words – and the most important and operative word for boundary-setting is “no.” You can use your words to essentially establish property lines and fences that let people know where they can go with you and where they cannot.

But sometimes words aren’t enough. Sometimes you will have to make people go away. When they won’t respect your clearly established boundaries simply because you have asked them to, the next step may be to physically remove them from your life – temporarily or maybe permanently. That’s what Paul was referring to in Romans 16:17-18. Some people are simply toxic and they will not accept correction. When it gets to that point, simply for the sake of selfcare, you have to make them go away.

Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote, “Sometimes physically removing yourself from a situation will help maintain boundaries. You can do this to replenish yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually, after you have given to your limit … Or, you can remove yourself to get away from danger and put limits on evil. The Bible urges us to separate from those who continue to hurt us and to create a safe place for ourselves.”

They also write, “When a relationship is abusive, many times the only way to finally show the other person that your boundaries are real is to create space until they are ready to deal with the problem. The Bible supports the idea of limiting togetherness for the sake of “binding evil.”

I’ll share with you again one of my personal life-principles that I frequently remind myself of and which I use as a guide in making decisions regarding selfcare: “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” Sadly, sometimes, that principle must be applied to toxic people who need to be made to go away.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
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