When to shake the dust off your feet

I have stayed on in unbearable circumstances out of obedience to Christ.  But in all honesty, I am not always 100% sure if He wants me to stay or not when I am in those situations. 

You see, I see all of life, as a Christian, as Jesus forming me into His image.  And it is never the happy times that do such a thing, but always the hard times, the trials.  

This is more than mere "character-building."  This is Christ forming His very nature in me.

If you don't think this forming is hard work, think again!  Yes, we are to rest and abide in Him while He does the work in us.  But we must cooperate.  We are to obey.  That is where the rubber meets the road in our lives as Christians.

Most will simply walk away from an unpleasant situation before the Lord has fully done the work He wants to do in them there, in the muck and the mire. Especially these days where "boundaries" and "rights" are all the rage.   But many times, our most fruitful and productive times, outer and inner, happen during those, what I like to call, "dungeon" seasons.

Think of the apostle Paul.  We would not have most of the New Testament if it weren't for Paul writing his famous letters to the various churches.  He wrote those letters from a dungeon, a dark, dank, prison cell.

Now our circumstances may not be quite so dramatic.  But there are restrictive seasons, those times when we feel trapped, like we would rather run and hide, or escape, or what have you, but we are compelled by Jesus to simply stay put.

I have told the Lord as much in some situations, "Lord, I'm not leaving until You do it - arrange my escape."  And He was true to His provision and I was able to leave on His timetable.  Even if I stayed a bit too long, I would rather lag behind and wait on God than run ahead of Him.  It's not that He can't catch up with me if I do!  But He knows my heart, that I would rather stay in a very difficult situation (in my case, a work situation that went on ad nauseum), and let Christ do His will in me there than wriggle out of it just because it makes me uncomfortable.

Now don't get me wrong.  I am not talking about harmful or dangerous situations, though many Christians around the world have no say in their dire circumstances of various levels of persecution.  And again, Paul's imprisonment was far from a joy ride and he was most likely in danger every day of disease, starvation, loneliness, or what have you.

When we represent Christ, we will be rejected. It's that simple.  Even if we never say a word about our faith, our very presence, His Presence in us, is enough to drive the unrepentant souls of those around us around the bend!

So how do we know when to call it a day and shake the dust off our feet from a place that has not welcomed us, or worse?  I believe it is a case by case basis.  He may ask me to stay years, He may ask you to stay months.  He may ask some to live out the rest of their days there.

But this I know.  Rather than trying to force an impossible situation into working, or rather than not giving up for the sake of not being a quitter, I will "read the writing on the wall" and make sure that God wants me to stay next time around.  I can say life's too short to waste it on idiots who refuse to see the light and repent of their evil ways.  But I can also ask God, "Lord, is this Your will for my life in this season?  If so, not my will, but Yours be done."  

This is where we must pray for discernment.  Again, I don't think God gives up on us if we choose to fly the coop, so to speak.  He has ways of making sure that He still gets His way in us wherever we go!  And I tend to think that I'd rather battle the demons that I know (however heinous they may be), than flee and find myself with unknown demons that may or may not be worse!

It's a freak show out there these days.  People no longer seem to have a sense of right and wrong.  This is evident when they fight for their "rights" which are sometimes nothing more than the "right" to live an evil lifestyle under the guise of "freedom."

As we remain committed to Christ, we will stick out more and more as "weirdos" and unwanted "guests" in this world.  Christ promises us as much.

But we do have Christ's command to shake the dust off our feet if we, or the Word we speak/represent, are not welcome.  Remember, it is Christ they are rejecting, not us.  

When people rejected Christ when He walked this earth, they were rejecting God.  Jesus did nothing wrong.  But He often left places where He was not welcome.  He was hated without cause, and we can expect the same treatment.

So if you are in an impossible situation but do not feel that it is time to move on, then by all means, stay.  Though it be painful, look to the Lord and His strength to carry you through it.  He always knows exactly what He is doing.  He sees it all.  He knows all the ways you have been persecuted.  Couldn't He stop it?  This is where Romans 8:28 comes in extremely useful.  He is working it all together for our good - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  

But when it is time to walk, then do so with grace and courage and move on shaking the dust off your feet!