Joyless or Joyful

Have you ever wondered what the final straw was that broke the camel’s back in a relationship? It can be any type of relationship, parent/child, husband/wife, extended family. You get my drift. I used to let this question live rent free in my head, there is plenty of space up there. I prayed over the situation and God answered in a mighty way.

I have come to realize that cutoff culture is growing rapidly and being labeled as “boundary setting.” The birthday parties or gatherings you are invited to that feel so stifling, you know where the invitation was given either out of necessity, courtesy, or obligatory, not because you are wanted there. Why bother? Save us all from the dog and pony show. Protection from fairytale drama is labeled as healing, you can put lipstick on a pig, and it is still a pig.

Forgiving is a must whether they ask or not, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of forgiveness for all of us. Matthew 6:14-15, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37 are just a few verses to get you started on forgiveness. Forgiveness looks different for those who do not repent, release (forgiveness) does not mean reconciliation. Matthew 18:15-17 will help explain further on that.

Protecting our faith is crucial and realizing to stay away from those who keep our minds focused on them rather than God, 1^st Corinthians 15:33. I have chosen to continue to love but only at a distance, Matthew 5:44.

I am the villain in the story so accountability would not land on their shoulders as being the monster’s. I would rather adjust myself to an absence than adjust to accommodate disrespect. Not being able to speak about things is a huge hinderance in moving forward, peace is held hostage in boundary setting and labeled as drama simply because they do not want to address it. The alternative is to speak to others about the issues so you can at least decompress, that too is frowned upon by the very ones who have chosen to walk away.

I have never been a resolution type gal; I always fail miserably at reaching goals. I have learned not to plan anything as life will get sideways too often. However, today January 1, 2026, I am done grieving the living.