We’ve all faced the heartbreaking dilemma of having to choose between our loved ones and our faith. It’s a scenario that plays out in our minds, like the classic “who” question – if your spouse and your child were both drowning, who would you choose to rescue?

The natural human response is to try to save them both, to find a way to rescue them simultaneously. We
want to protect the people we care about most, even if it means getting creative and crafting a risky plan of action. But what happens when this type of decision-making collides with our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ? When following His will means having to walk away from someone we’ve shared a deep bond with for years?

I recently faced this very challenge with a close friend from my youth. We were practically like sisters – our families were intertwined, and we were inseparable for much of our lives. But as we grew older, our paths diverged, especially after I dedicated myself more fully to the Catholic faith.

My friend struggled through a difficult marital separation and eventually embraced a lifestyle that I would find contrary to my faith. Despite my efforts to support her and guide her back to goodness, she stubbornly refused to listen, and even to the point of mocking my faith. Our conversations often devolved into pointless arguments, leaving me extremely frustrated while she remained unapologetic for her remarks.

As I wrestled with this situation, I knew I had to make a choice. Part of me still yearned for my old friend. But I also felt Lord Jesus Christ pressing me to focus on my own faith and spiritual health. Remembering Jesus’ instructions to His disciples – to “shake the dust off your feet” when people refuse to receive the Gospel – “And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them” Mark 6:11

I made the agonising decision to distance myself. I declined an event my friend had planned, sensing it
would only pull me back into an unhealthy situations. As much as I cared for my friend, I couldn’t let her
lead me away from the path he had for me.

It was one of the most painful choices I’ve ever had to make. But I knew, deep down, that I had to put our
Lord Jesus Christ first. As much as I cared for my friend, I couldn’t allow her to drag me away from the path our Lord Jesus Christ had laid out for me. It’s a struggle but I had to be willing to let go, even of a lifelong bond, in order to remain true to my faith.

The road ahead may be lonely at times, but I take comfort in our Lord Jesus Christ’s words –
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” Luke 9: 23-24

Though the earthly cost is high, the eternal reward of faithfulness to God is greater still.
– “The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness;” 1Samuel:23

Written by Joan Kit Lee