Talking about walking away from toxic people can feel like a too-challenging (and maybe unbiblical?) conversation. But, shoot: Relationship expert and author, Gary Thomas, convinced us through his latest book and this interview that knowing when to walk away from toxic people is a critical practice for Christians.
Jesus walked away from toxic people (or let them walk away from Him), and we should to … for the sake of the Kingdom.
Why? How?
We dive in with Gary, and explore toxic discipleship, marriages, friendships, and the most critical one for us: how we can stop being toxic to ourselves.
Highlights:
“Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, He would share the truth (generously and in a relevant way) with compassion and empathy. He loved those people. But if they didn’t receive it? He would find someone else who did. He walked away.” —Gary Thomas
“Most of us, if we are healthy, we want a peaceful work environment. That’s boring to a toxic person. We want a mutually encouraging marriage where we support each other. That’s boring to a toxic person. We like the thought of a church pursuing a mission of reaching the lost and helping people recover from issues. That’s boring to a toxic person. A toxic person *has* to engage in conflict.”
—Gary Thomas“Jesus chose his disciples and so should we.” —Gary Thomas
“When I make myself the hero of my life and somebody treats me in a toxic way, I’m tempted to hate them: ‘How dare you challenge my role of being hero!’ Or, I’ll disappoint myself: I’ll sin. I won’t respond with compassion. Because ‘I’m supposed to be my own hero,’ I will *hate myself* for not living up to my highest ideals. I [am only free] when I realize, ‘There is only one hero in the Bible and that’s Jesus.’” —Gary Thomas
Question of the Week for Next Week:
What really helps you focus on Jesus at Christmas?
Do the Next Thing:
- Find Gary’s book, When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom From Toxic People here
- Gary’s blog–full of resources? Here
- Find that paradigm-shifting marriage book he mentioned here