For When You Choose to Walk Away
Photo of woman walking away on a desert path by Clay Banks via Unsplash
In 2020, just as the pandemic was starting, I stepped away from a business I was building—even though it meant saying no to a big opportunity and work that I loved. Part of me felt like I was walking away from legacy work, and I was so scared that I would regret it forever.
Three years later, while hindsight has assured me I made the right decision, I have been surprised to find that I’m still grieving.
The world tells us to try harder, sacrifice more, follow all your commitments through. Don’t be a quitter. You’ll let everybody down. You won’t get another chance. If you back out now, you’re only setting yourself up to fail.
There comes a point when you have to decide to stop running at the wall and realize that pushing through might wreck you. It might just be time to sit and rest.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep in perfect peace him whose mind is set on you, because he trusts in you.” This verse helped me keep my peace when it felt like what I had planted in faith was being pulled up and thrown in the fire.
Part of our freedom in Christ is we can spend less time worrying about making the wrong decision and simply trust Him with our futures, even if the outcome of our choices brings consequences, failure, or trial. When we trust Him instead of ourselves, we know whatever happens next will be for His glory. Whatever comes next will be for our good too, because He cares for us.
When I chose to walk away, I trusted God with the details of that decision. God already knew which way I would go, and He knew where that route would take me. I knew that He cared for me, and I trusted Him. I chose slowness and rest over burnout and striving.
And He has given me new seeds to sow. He has remembered old dreams and put them on my path. We’re moving slower these days, but I am steadied in Him.
Having these questions in my head help me as I read the Scripture passages:
What sensations am I feeling in my body? Where am I feeling it?
What emotions are rising to the surface?
Do I know the context of this passage? What is it? (It’s ok if you don’t know.)
How is this relevant right now?
What does this show me about God?
The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.Psalm 37:18-31 (NIV)
Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”
23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
Isaiah 30:20-26 (NIV)
I’ve made a playlist for Combative Praise to help you finish your practice. It’s also a great tool to bring praise into your daily life as you get ready for the day, during your commute, or while you do housework. Find it free on Spotify, linked below.
This post was previously published on The Bstro Blog, on my Wordpress site. The content is mine and has been edited and adapted for this website.
