#54: Walking away from toxic people (with Gary Thomas)
“When Jesus found an open door, he was incredibly generous with his time. When he found a community not welcoming to him, he left. We’re allowed to do the same.”
Gary Thomas, the bestselling author of Sacred Marriage, Sacred Search and close to 20 other books joined me this week to turn my whole world upside down. His latest book, When To Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People hit me square between the eyes and so we talked about difficult relationships, protecting our identity and mission, and knowing when to call it a day. Gary covers toxicity in the context of church, workplace relationships, parents, marriages and more. Order the book below and have a listen to this important discussion.
Resources mentioned:
Support my work at patreon.com/jonathanpuddle
Order When To Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People by Gary Thomas
Visit Gary at garythomas.com
Professor, author, speaker and all-around delightful person Heather Thompson Day is our guest on The Puddcast—something I’ve been hoping to make happen for 3 years. Dr. Heather is Associate Professor of Communication at Andrews University, and the author of 8 books; including her latest, I'll See You Tomorrow: Building Relational Resilience When You Want to Quit. Heather shared her perspective that all relationship is sacred, and that ministering the gospel is often as simple as reflecting people’s human dignity back to them. We reflected on living with delight and purpose, inside the mundane limits of our actual lives. Heather unpacked the myth of self-reliance and explained how not all relationships have to be strong, intimate ones to still have profound value and sacred impact. If you’re tired and have not much left to give right now, this one is for you.