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Inspiration

Letting Go of Toxic Relationships
By Victoria Osteen - Jul 29, 2010
Years ago when Joel was in his early 20's, he used to get his hair cut by this one young lady. She was as nice as could be. She had a good heart, but she was extremely negative. Every time he went in there, she would spend the whole time telling him all her problems. She would complain about how the owners weren't treating her right, and she had a brother who was very difficult. Oftentimes, she didn't have the money to pay her rent. Every time he left, he would feel down and discouraged, almost depressed. Joel did his best to encourage her. He'd pray with her, send her customers, and even gave her money. It seemed like it was never enough.

One day he realized that it was simply a toxic relationship. He was doing all the giving, and she was doing all the taking. It was dragging him down and sucking the life out of him. So, he decided to make a change.

Proverbs 27 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Let me ask you, are your friends making you stronger? Are they challenging you to become a better parent, a better spouse, a better giver, a better leader, a better person? You, too, may have to make some changes in order to be all that God has called you to be. You may have to change where you do business, where you workout, or where you shop. You may have to change who you eat lunch with every day at the office. Life is too short, and your time is too valuable. Learn to say goodbye to toxic relationships and invest your energy where it counts—on your family, on your marriage, on being all that God has called you to be!
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