The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
Have you ever been in a situation where helping someone else caused physical, mental, relational or spiritual problems in your own life? I would venture to say we have all had this experience at one time or so another.
Over the last 25 years or so, I have strived to adhere to the Biblical method of handling disputes & habitual sin that is found in Matthew 18:15-18
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector – Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)
Recently, my husband & I had to end a 20 year friendship with another couple. In order to preserve their privacy & avoid being a gossip, I will not be sharing the specifics at this time. Suffice it to say, we have met with them in a group, individually & as a couple concerning their issues. The goal was always to guide them to a healthy, God-honoring marriage. It saddens me that it had to come to this, but I could not allow someone else’s problems to contine to monopolize so much of my time & energy. We pray that at some point our families will be together again. I know that God can bring healing to their relationship. However, I do not have the same confidence in them to doing their part. 🙁
Will you join me in praying for their family to put their trust in Jesus in ALL areas of their lives?

I will join you in prayer for this family.
Families are precious to God, and benefit from prayer.
Thanks for this post, which shows us the importance of keeping appropriate boundaries around ourselves. 🌷🤗
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I appreciate your prayers & understanding it was a very hard decision to take this step. 🙏👨👩👧👧👨👩👦
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Fabulous post
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I will join you in prayer for this family.
I have found myself in the same circumstance before
A lady friend of mine who had issues in her marriage would only tell me about her troubling marriage all the times we met. I would listen much and advice much but each time we met she would bring up the same topic. I had to end the friendship at such a worse time for her.
I always believe that any friendship and relationships should be able to enrich both of us.
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Agreed. When it begins to affect your other relationships or your health, it’s time to step aside. It can be hard for others to realize that NO human can meet all their needs. That’s God’s job.
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May God equip them to do the needful.
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Thank-you for your prayer.
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