UR 204: When To Walk Away — Gary Thomas

Have you ever found yourself in a toxic relationship with others? As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a family member, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people frequently seek to frustrate our empathy in Christ Jesus. While you're seeking God's kingdom first, it seems like they're seeking to distract your focus and delay your work. Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it's time we dedicate our energy to the only worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us by investing in reliable people. It's only when we learn to say no to bad patterns that we can say yes to the good work God has planned for us.  On this week's episode of The Undone Redone Podcast, bestselling author of Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas shares biblical examples of how Christ dealt with toxic people in his new book When to Walk Away, Finding Freedom From Toxic People. Here are just a few topics Thomas shares with Tray and Melody: How to learn the difference between difficult people and toxic people How to find refuge in God when you feel under attack How we can discern when to walk away from a toxic situation How we can keep a tender heart even in unhealthy relationships We encourage our listeners to learn more about Gary Thomas at his website http://www.garythomas.com/ and can pre-order his new book now on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/When-Walk-Away-Finding-Freedom-ebook/dp/B07PR87KLL.  Quotes: "Jesus warns his followers away from spending too much time on a toxic person. He says 'don't throw your pearls to pigs or what is holy to dogs' and He isn't being disrespectful there, but He is recognizing we must know when to walk away." "We can't let others steal our joy or our mission. It's time to strengthen our defense, learn to set healthy boundaries, and focus on our God-given purpose." "Just like if you were to remove my spine from my body, even if I had 205 bones left, taking the fall out of scripture puts evil in a position to corrupt good, God-centered people and relationships."