Who You’re Around
People leaving your life can hurt. Removing people from your life can hurt. Setting firm boundaries can hurt. However, years later, you might realize that your life significantly enhanced since the connection to certain people was severed or compartmentalized.
In my personal life and through others’ lives around me, I have seen financial increase, improved mental and physical health, program acceptances and more after severing ties with certain people. “Why,” you may ask. I heard a pastor once say that God can’t bless you because of who you are connected to. The people you are connected to carry a lot of weight. They hold your ear and influence you the most. Therefore, God knows what will happen if He blesses you and they are still around. Some people will try to exploit you; some people will make you second guess the blessing; and some people will even talk you out of it. Psalm 84:11 (NLT) says: “The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Moreover, Psalm 37:4 (NIV) says: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Therefore, if you aren’t receiving the blessing you’re looking for, it might be because of who you are connected to. God isn’t doing it to be mean. He wants us to enjoy our blessings. He wants us to be happy with our blessings. He doesn’t want us to feel burdened after receiving it. That is why the promotion or school acceptance letter didn’t come until after you broke up with your boyfriend. God knew he would be a distraction and cause you to turn from where you were supposed to go. That is why the opportunity to move didn’t come until after you set firm boundaries with your family. God knew that they would talk you out of your blessing if you didn’t set boundaries. Psalm 147:5 (NIV) says: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”
I’m learning that all God wants us to do is trust Him and lean on Him. Most of the time, we know who we need to cut off or the boundaries we need to set, but we ignore God when He instructs us on what to do concerning the people in our lives, resulting in us feeling hurt, battered, bruised and feeling like God doesn’t hear our prayers.
It hurts when people leave your life or when you set boundaries, but a greater blessing will be found on the other side.
