When to Shake Off the Dust
A number of years ago–in another location–I preached a sermon that I believe was titled, “The Hardest Work You’ll Ever Try to Do.” It was a very personal sermon, but one that I knew needed to be preached at that time.
The point of the sermon was to encourage Christians to put forward the effort to try to not just win the lost, but to also try to encourage those who had slipped away in their faith. And, in many ways, that second one can be harder.
For me, it is something I have a heart for, but my struggle is one that is really simply stated: I never know when to shake the dust from off my feet.
That imagery, borrowed from Jesus’s “limited commission,” has become synonymous with knowing when to realize our efforts are not welcome and, so, moving on to another opportunity. I know the concept; I’m just terrible at doing it, and that is especially true with those who once were faithful in their walk but have now seemingly walked away.
Why is it so hard? Because you already love that person! They are your spiritual family. You have a heart to help them. You want that spiritual family to be whole again. So you do all you know to do and, with every rebuff, you struggle more, but you also want to do more.
When texts go unanswered; when visits become brief and obviously awkward; when calls aren’t received…but you just don’t know to stop because you love that person so much. It hurts.
I was recently asked by someone when to shake the dust of their feet concerning a situation like this where they worshiped. I had to confess that I was probably not the person to ask because I am terrible at it. It really isn’t that I am patient; it’s that I want so badly for this person or family to come back that I can’t think of not trying over and over again.
But, at some point, I have to ask myself this question: what opportunities am I letting go by while I do that? Again, I may not be the person to answer that question, but it is one I have been trying to think through more and more. There are still many people who want to know Jesus. There are those who have walked away, but who can be reached.
Maybe I need to stop thinking of the dust on my feet and, instead, (to mix metaphors) think of the size the net I am casting. May God help us all have eyes to see opportunities instead of becoming so laser focused on one thing that miss them.
…but may He help us to still send a text every so often, just in case…
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
