Those Who Remain

Photo by Kyle Johnson on Unsplash

But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land you live. -Numbers 33:55

I have seen this first hand, over the years, as my family has been host to several foster children. Parents who love their children the best they know how, just don’t know how to get out of the cycle they are stuck in. They try to get clean, but they go back to drugs. They find a job only to lose it a few weeks later. They get really close to getting their children back and make one poor decision that ends up being their last chance at reunification. The one thing all of these situations have in common is that these parents never left the old circle of friends behind. They understood what they needed to do, and they were successful for a short time, but if they kept hanging around the same people they ended up failing over and over again.

Just like God commanded the Israelites, we must also be careful to drive out the people who are toxic in our lives. Several of our foster children’s parents hang around in the same circle and I have to believe that it’s not a coincidence that they all are losing their children. Of course they have to be held responsible for their own choices, but after reading this scripture I see that God was warning us about other people bringing us down. I’ve always believed that if our biological parents could have found new relationships and gotten away from the people and habits that they were comfortable with, they may have had better success at breaking free from their trouble and finding a new chance at raising their children. Of course, God plays a huge role in that; there are things that we can do to help ourselves, and this is one example.

Take a look at your life. Who remains in your life? Who is bringing you down? Who doesn’t encourage you to know the Lord and do what is right? Is there a certain person or group of people who are toxic to your goal at living like Jesus? Don’t get me wrong you will have friends who aren’t believers and that’s ok! You will know people who need you more than you need them, and believe me you are important in their life. Only you know the one’s who need to go and the one’s who need your support and influence. And remember, don’t ever stop loving and praying for those who remain, it just may be time for change.