00:00There's a truth that sounds simple when you say it, but heavy when you live it.
00:09You have to meet people where they are, and sometimes you have to leave them there.
00:17You know, most of us are very good at the first part.
00:21We show up, we listen, we extend grace, we explain ourselves again and again.
00:28We forgive and then forgive some more.
00:34We bend, we adjust, we wait, we hope, we pray, we sacrifice.
00:43We stay longer than we should because love to us has always meant endurance.
00:52But nobody prepares you for the second part.
00:56Nobody tells you how painful it is to realize that staying has become disobedience, that your compassion has turned into captivity, that your patience is no longer producing fruit.
01:13It's only draining your soul.
01:15Jesus understood this tension better than anyone.
01:21Think about it.
01:22He met people exactly where they are.
01:25He entered their mess without flinching.
01:28He touched the untouchable.
01:31He listened to the overlooked.
01:33He stood in front of the accused and refused to condemn them.
01:38He showed radical compassion in a world addicted to judgment.
01:45But what we often miss is this.
01:49Jesus never stayed where truth was rejected.
01:54He offered the invitation clearly and lovingly.
01:59And then he honored the choice people made with it.
02:03There's a moment in the Gospels where Jesus feeds thousands, heals the sick, and teaches with authority.
02:14And then he says something hard.
02:18He speaks about cost, about sacrifice, about surrender.
02:24And scripture tells us that many who had been following him turned away.
02:32And Jesus let them go.
02:34He didn't chase them.
02:35He didn't soften the truth.
02:38He didn't apologize for obedience.
02:42He turned to the disciples and asked,
02:45Do you also want to leave?
02:48Now, that question matters.
02:50Because it tells us something about God's heart.
02:55Love never manipulates.
02:57Love never coerces.
03:00Love, well, it never traps people with guilt.
03:06God invites.
03:08People choose.
03:11Some of us, as a result of these last few holidays,
03:15We are exhausted because we keep trying to outlove someone's unwillingness to change.
03:23We keep hoping that if we show enough grace,
03:26they'll finally meet us halfway.
03:29But grace is not a substitute for responsibility.
03:34And love cannot replace choice.
03:38You can meet people where they are,
03:41but you cannot make that their destination forever.
03:45There are relationships where you've done everything God has asked you to do.
03:52You've spoken truth gently.
03:54You've extended forgiveness sincerely.
03:58You've waited patiently.
04:01Prayed faithfully.
04:03And still, nothing has changed.
04:07Now, that doesn't mean you failed.
04:09It means they chose not to move.
04:14And here's the part that's difficult to accept.
04:18Their refusal to grow does not require you to stay stuck.
04:23Jesus never confused compassion with self-destruction.
04:28He never sacrificed his calling to preserve someone else's comfort.
04:34He never allowed other people's resistance to dictate his obedience.
04:41He knew when to engage.
04:43He knew when to engage.
04:44And he knew when to withdraw.
04:47Some of us need permission to hear that stepping back is not abandonment.
04:53It is alignment.
04:55You see, there are seasons when staying is holy.
05:03And there are seasons when leaving is faithful.
05:07Now, leaving doesn't mean you stop loving.
05:10Leaving doesn't mean you stop praying.
05:14Leaving doesn't mean you stop caring.
05:17It just means you stop forcing what only God can change.
05:23And sometimes we stay because we're afraid of what people will think.
05:29Afraid of being labeled selfish, cold, unloving, or unforgiving.
05:35But Jesus himself was misunderstood.
05:39He was criticized for setting boundaries.
05:42He was accused of not doing enough.
05:46Not showing up enough.
05:49Not explaining himself enough.
05:52And yet, he stayed obedient.
05:56You are not called to save people.
05:59You are called to be faithful.
06:02You are not responsible for how others respond to truth.
06:07You are responsible for whether you speak it and live it.
06:12There are people in your life who will only confront reality once you stop shielding them from it.
06:20There are situations that will only change once you remove yourself from the cycle.
06:27There are lessons that cannot be learned while you are constantly rescuing.
06:34Sometimes, distance is the most loving thing you can do.
06:40Because when you step back, you make room for God to step in.
06:46You see, we forget how powerful God is when we try to do his job for him.
06:54We forget that conviction belongs to him.
06:58Transformation belongs to him.
07:01Healing?
07:02Well, that belongs to him as well.
07:05Your role is obedience.
07:09God's role?
07:11Well, that's outcome.
07:13And obedience often requires courage.
07:16Especially when it means walking forward without knowing if anyone will follow.
07:22There will be moments when choosing peace feels like loss.
07:27When choosing growth feels lonely.
07:31And when choosing obedience feels like grief.
07:37But here's the quiet truth underneath it all.
07:42God never asks you to leave something without leading you toward something better.
07:50Jesus never stayed in places that limited his mission.
07:54He moved on when it was time.
07:57And every step forward carried purpose.
08:02Even when it carried pain.
08:05You are allowed to grow.
08:09You are allowed to heal.
08:13You are allowed to move forward.
08:17Even if others refuse to.
08:21Meet people where they are with kindness.
08:24Speak truth with humility.
08:28Love without condition.
08:32But when staying requires you to abandon who God is shaping you to become.
08:37Trust him enough to leave them there.
08:41Not in anger.
08:43Not in bitterness.
08:44And not in resentment.
08:46But in faith.
08:47But in faith.
08:50Because the same God who is calling you forward is fully capable of meeting them.
08:57Right where they stand.
09:01Truth.
09:03God bless you my friends.
09:07Bye bye.
09:08God bless you my friends.
09:09God bless you my friends.
09:11God bless you my friends.
09:11God bless you my friends.
09:12God bless you my friends.
09:13God bless you my friends.
09:14God bless you my friends.
09:15God bless you my friends.
09:16God bless you my friends.
09:17God bless you my friends.
09:18God bless you my friends.
09:19God bless you my friends.
09:20God bless you my friends.
09:21God bless you my friends.
09:22God bless you my friends.
09:23God bless you my friends.
09:24God bless you my friends.
09:25God bless you my friends.
09:26God bless you my friends.
09:27God bless you my friends.
09:28God bless you my friends.
09:29God bless you my friends.
09:30God bless you my friends.
09:31God bless you my friends.
09:32God bless you my friends.
09:33God bless you my friends.
09:34God bless you my friends.
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