The Tension Where Truth Lives

THE TENSION WHERE TRUTH LIVES BLOG
01/09/2025
Some People Will Walk Away

Following Christ doesn’t always cost you sin.

Sometimes it costs you people.

There are moments in discipleship when obedience quietly rearranges your relationships. Not because you became harsh. Not because you stopped loving. But because commitment has a way of revealing who can walk with you into the next season—and who cannot.

For many, that feels like abandonment.

And it hurts more than we often admit.

Jesus warned us that following Him would divide loyalties, but knowing that doesn’t lessen the ache when it happens. When people pull away, grow distant, or quietly exit your life because of your faithfulness, the loss feels personal—even when the calling is clear.

What we often struggle to discern in those moments is whether we are being rejected or released.

That’s where understanding the difference between your time and your turn becomes essential.

Just because it’s your time doesn’t mean it’s your turn yet. God often begins forming us internally long before He positions us publicly. And not everyone who walked with you in one season is meant to walk with you into the next.

This is where many people get stuck.

They mistake a season for a sentence.

They assume the silence will last forever.

They assume the loss defines them.

They assume the thinning of relationships means they misunderstood God.

But seasons change.

Sentences condemn.

God does not sentence His children to isolation—He seasons them for formation.

Waiting in that space can feel lonely. Obedience without affirmation always does. But abandonment is not always a sign of disobedience. Sometimes it is the cost of alignment.

Jesus Himself experienced this. When His teaching became clearer and His commitment more defined, many who once followed Him chose to walk away. He didn’t chase them. He didn’t negotiate truth for the sake of company. He stayed faithful to His assignment—even when faithfulness meant fewer people around Him.

If you’ve lost relationships because of your commitment to Christ, it doesn’t mean you failed. It may mean you understood the call clearly—and paid the price obedience sometimes requires.

This may be a season where it’s not yet your turn.

But it is your time to be formed.

And formation often happens in quieter places, with fewer voices, and less validation than we’d prefer.

If people have walked away, let them go without resentment.

If the crowd has thinned, don’t assume you’ve been forgotten.

Some departures are not rejection.

They are preparation.

And the God who called you is faithful enough to stay— even when others cannot.

THETENTIONWHERETRUTHLIVES.ORG
Pastor Charles E. Howse Jr
Beth-El Baptist Church
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