Is obedience easy?
Obedience isn’t easy. If it were, then everyone would do it. What makes obedience hard is when it spans far beyond our comfort zone. Anytime we get asked to do something that sounds even a little bit crazy, we clench up with fear and turn down the offer. Obedience becomes difficult when we don’t fully trust in what the Lord has for us.
I find it funny that many Christians, me included, choose willingly to follow Christ with all that we are, but when He asks us to do something that isn’t within the boundaries of our clean-cut life we say, “Ooo, Jesus, I’m gonna have to pass on that. It’s not really what I had in mind.”
Obedience takes faith because most of the time when we obey God we don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into. That can really scare some people; and it had been scaring me earlier in the year.
When I initially heard of the opportunity to go and play soccer in Seattle over the summer I was intrigued—mostly because it meant I got to travel to a place I’ve never been. As I talked to people about it I got a very interesting response from them. Obviously, they were excited for me, but I got an overwhelming amount of concern lurking through their answers. I was made aware of how unchurched Seattle is. People noted how different it was from West Michigan. I started to crouch down in fear. My whole life I have been surrounded by a Christian environment where churches line the corner of streets and pews are filled every Sunday with ardent church-goers. I’ve never known what unchurched looks like. The fear originated from not knowing how to navigate this environment. I knew if I chose to go, my faith would be tested in a way I’ve never experienced.
As many of you know, I freakin’ love Jesus. I consider myself an outspoken Christian burning with a passion for Christ. However, I’ve never had someone truly ask, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” Obviously, there are many easy answers as to why, but I felt as though I would need to cater my answer to a non-Christian audience. So, as I thought about preparing myself for Seattle, I wrestled with how exactly I could answer this question. When I couldn’t come up with a concrete answer, I started telling myself that Seattle wasn’t for me. I made the excuse that I wasn’t ready to engage in a culture like that.
But here’s the thing I’ve been learning:
I will never be able to fully prepare myself for what life is going to bring. I won’t be able to plan out what I’m gonna say in every conversation. I won’t be able to know what I will experience until I’m immersed in that moment. So, there’s no need in stressing over the preparation. It’s so much easier to simply obey and accept the call of God and enjoy the ride He has you on.
Now, I know I said at the beginning that obedience isn’t easy, and I still think it isn’t—only if you don’t fully trust God. When I came to the realization that this life I’m living is not mine, it made it so much easier to say yes to Seattle. 1 Peter 1:16 says, “As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.” (MSG) See what happens when we choose to be obedient to God? Our lives start to merge and become one with Him, and as a result we can’t help but burn with a passion for Him.
Here’s another reason why Seattle became easy to say yes to. God spoke directly to me. He said, “Beth, this summer isn’t about you. It’s not even about soccer. I need you to go to Seattle because people there don’t know Me. You’re gonna bring teammates to Me. Your actions are gonna speak volumes. Don’t stress about not knowing what to say. Trust that I will give you the words when the time is right.”
This gave me some hardcore peace—peace that I needed. Psalm 81:10 says, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (NIV) This verse reminds me that I am called to be obedient, and in return, God is faithful. I don’t need to stress about coming up with extraordinary words that are spoken eloquently. The Lord does His work through broken people with sometimes unorganized words.
Well I’m here in Seattle now, and I’m so excited to see His faithfulness come to fruition. I’ve been in deep prayer about God using me as a vessel, and I know He’s going to come through in incredible ways. All this confidence and peace has been given to me as a result of me being obedient to Christ.
I hope you come to or are at a place where obedience to Christ becomes easy because of the unwavering trust you have in what He’s doing. I promise that when you give up all you are to pursue the Kingdom, you will be rewarded far greater than you can imagine.
I leave you with this verse, from 1 John 5:3-4, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” (ESV) DO YOU SEE THAT? You overcome the world because Christ did. We get to live in that freedom and fellowship with Christ. Obeying God is well worth the rollercoaster you get to ride on. When you look at it from the perspective of you already overcoming it, any situation can be attacked with confidence!
Blessings,
Beth
