When it comes to toxic relationships, my response will always be SHOW THEM THE DOOR! It might sound a little harsh but the reality is, you need to let them go.
Sometimes we attached ourselves to certain people without realizing that not everybody that walks into your life is with the intention to stay. Some people come to spend with you a season in life, others will come to teach a lesson and some of them will stay with you a lifetime. The problem is that sometimes we can’t identify the difference right away and we end up dragging them to a new season in our lives where they do not belong.
As humans, we learn and grow. Sometimes we outgrow people and other times they outgrow us. It is okay to move on. That doesn’t mean that you need to cut them completely; but as you are in a new season in your life, they might not have an active part in your daily life.
When I talk about toxic people, I mean people that do more harm than good. Negative people always see the negative in every situation. People that find a problem in every solution. People that steal your joy when they walk into a room. I know is hard to de-attached yourself from this kind of people because we don’t want to end up on their bad side or simply because we don’t want to hurt them. Unfortunately, if these people are taking away more than what they are offering, they need to go. It is okay to be selfish when it comes to your well being. You need to do whatever it takes to keep your peace and build your happy place.
As a Christian woman, I was confronted with a different kind of toxic relationship. The one from people that is not bad people, but bring the bad in you. We need to be cautious about this kind of people. Maybe their convictions are not yours and what they think is okay, the Spirit makes you uneasy, letting you know that He is not okay with that, or He doesn’t want that in your life. God will protect us to avoid us to fall back into a sinful life. When I decided to turn my life completely to God, I realized there were people in my life that I needed to let go of if I wanted to grow in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 13:55 says: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character”. The bible warns us about the people we surround ourselves with. Seek friends that are there to support you, that their characters are aligned with Christ. Surround yourself with positive people. People that seek the Lord during difficult times and rejoices in Him in good times.
Not every person that you disagree with is toxic. We need to keep in mind that some people will confront us in certain areas for our own good. Some people come to make us uncomfortable and are essential to your growth. Proverbs 27:17 says: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. We need to seek the Lord to be able to identify who has come to sharpens us to the image of God.
Proverbs 17:17 the bible gives us a clue on how to choose friends: A friend loves at all times,and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Godly friendships will become a brother or a sister in difficult times.
Like I said before, not everybody is meant to stay in your life during all the seasons. Embrace the ones you have today, be grateful for the ones that came and left leaving a lesson behind and show the door to those whose part in your story is over. Be wise and learn when it's time to open the door and say GOODBYE!
