Will Ye Also Go Away?

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I am actually rather fortunate. I have a good friend and a best friend, someone who knows about what's going on and someone who's also gone through things with me. I have very few associations. While at the surface that sounds lonely, it also means there is no deadweight. A few of the people who are gone are people I'm glad to see go. A few are ones I miss and miss dearly.

There are competing schools of thought on who actually does the leaving and what that means about the one who does. Frequently, people will stay in bad circumstances to avoid being lonely or to avoid being labeled the villain. Some of my friends are still married legally although their spouses gave up on the marriage long ago. It's hard because of hope and love and known circumstances. I don't really know what's the best course of action.

Over the last few weeks, I have heard some general thoughts that sound true. Of course, general counsel doesn't apply to all circumstances. Men are easily villified by women and vice versa. I have never actually dumped a girl, and the relationships have not ended by mutual consent. I was still invested when the fund collapsed, just like I was with my WaMu stock before Joe Biden created a run on the bank that wiped me out. He'll eventually get a bill from me.

In the case of relationships, there's emotion involved. Eventually I do give up on people, not because I no longer care, but because the evidence available indicates that they no longer do. I have walked away when it was clear that I could say nothing to change a person's mind, that it wasn't up for negotiation. I wasn't trying to be mean. I accepted what they tol me, and if it was a game to see if I'd stay, well, they are the ones who lost. Ultimatums amount to emotional blackmail, and I find that a weak foundation for something that matters a great deal to me. Their part in my life is over. I am sad, but I am submissive. God knew this was coming, and he will still lead me to a fair shore and land of promise.

When you face the troubled times in life, you frequently discover who means it. Lots of us have fair weather friends. These remind me of Job's neighbors who blamed him for his circumstance and make me wonder with friends like that who needs enemies? Maybe they say things you don't want to hear, but they don't just blame you, and they don't leave you. They help you recover if they can. That's what God does too.

About a year ago, a friend who has since cut off all contact with me recently told me that I reminded her that there is no finding God. He is always there. We are the ones who move. We flit off to Pleasure Island or fall behind and then complain that God has abandoned us. We abandon Him.

After He finished feeding the multitude, Jesus was sad that the people went away. They came for the refreshments and not for His message. Turning to His disciples, the master asked, "Will ye also go away?" The disciples responded, where else would we go? If you're interested in bread, you can find that anywhere. There are bars and pubs and eateries and grocers aplenty from whom you can get those things. If you're interested in pleasure, the sources are likewise apenty. If you're interested in truth, there really is only One Source. Where else would we go? Even as the standards and morays and morals of the world change, God and His laws and promises stand resolute against the waves of popular sentiment. When we walk away, it's because we don't care. He always does, which is why you know how to find Him and how you will find Him when you get there.

Sometimes I wonder if He allows me these experiences so that I will understand. I begin to see a little bit of His sorrow and pain as I see people for and about whom I care choose to wander down paths that will not lead to lasting happiness. What they find might be a substitute or have the semblance, but they lack the substance. I know that, and I hope they don't realize it because I don't want them to suffer. I'm sure some of the people who have left me or who think I left them weep. I weep for them likewise. I know who and what I thought I lost. How much more painful must it be for God, who knows more than what He thinks- He knows exactly what is lost in a poor decision and what might be gained by hearkening to Him.

In the end, the most important thing for me is to keep my relationship with my Maker strong. I believe that as long as I honestly focus on strengthening my relationship with Him, He will help me take care of the rest. Some people are jealous and don't like this, thinking I should focus on them first. None of them are still around. God is. And so, I am faithful.