The ‘gift of goodbye’ 

‘Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home.’ Ruth 1:14 GNB 

Certain people will leave you. When they do, let them go! Don’t try to talk them into staying. Your destiny is seldom tied to those who walk away! The Bible says, ‘They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us’ (1 John 2:19 NIV). When people don’t belong in your life anymore, even a bucket of super glue won’t make them stay! Orpah’s leaving didn’t make her a bad person; it just meant her part in the story was over. Recognise when somebody’s part in your story is over as well, otherwise you’ll keep trying to raise the dead. David pleaded with God for his baby’s life. He ‘fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground...and he would not eat’ (2 Samuel 12:16-17 NIV). But when the child died, he had to accept that there was nothing more he could do, so he ‘got up...washed...changed his clothes... and he ate’ (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV). Know when something’s over! If God means you to have it, He’ll give it to you. When you’ve tried to make it work and it hasn’t, accept His will in the matter. Never beg anyone to stay with you against their will. Their leaving is no accident – the ‘gift of goodbye’ is a scriptural one. It means God’s got something better in store for you (and possibly them too), so keep trusting Him until it comes to pass! 

Prayer Point:

Lord, help me to identify the path and direction I should take when things around me seem to be going wrong. Father, I pray that I would not hinder the lives of the people around me. I pray that You bless me, Lord, and let me be a blessing to others, in Jesus’ name. Amen.