Rewarded In Obedience

From the beginning of our childhood, we are told to be obedient. The adults of our lives such as parents, teachers, leaders and such have an authority over us through our lives as we grow up. Our parents are probably the ones we hear the most instruction from as we grow. They have been given the authority to teach and guide you in life. I remember my mom having talks with me about being an obedient child. She used to say “an obedient child is a happy child”. Now at the time I didn’t always agree with that or choose to be an obedient child. But now I’ve seen a different depth of what she was saying.

Parents were gifted with authority from God, though He has the ultimate authority over us. He was the one to create the universe and set everything in motion. He also designed family and the concept of parents. In the same way He is essentially our parent as He is our creator and Savior. So in the way that we are to listen to our parent’s instructions, we are supposed to listen to His instruction. God knows our innermost parts and heart, every thought, desire, and need. He knows what’s best for us and what we should avoid in our life.
I’ve seen that God gives this understanding to parents also. It’s something He has engrained in parents to raise their children in the best way possible.

I am grateful for the parents that God blessed me with and the way that they have raised me. One thing that they were adamant about in our lives, was learning to hear the Lord’s voice for ourselves. Parents are able to be our ears for a portion of our early lives, to hear God’s wisdom for us, but eventually we can not rely solely on them. My parents taught us at an early age to speak and then wait. Whether it be about something small or big in our life, we were encouraged to speak to God and then wait for a response. This is something that isn’t always easy especially if you have your personal idea or emotions wrapped up in it. There were even times that I didn’t want to talk to God about the topic because I wanted things to go my way and I knew how He would probably respond. But since then I have seen the rewards of obedience…

This past year has been a year that has truly tested my obedience and ear towards God. As most of y’all know, the beginning of the year started with my heart being called to Virginia for school. That was the first big thing that tested my ability to obey God’s calling. Moving was not in my plan especially in the timing that it happened. From my point of view, everything was set for staying in Charlotte and moving did not make sense. So when God first tugged on my heart about it, I struggled to hear His words. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of my life in NC or leave things that were going on in that season. But God is persistent and continued to tug on my heart until I said “yes” to Him. Then with that I encountered a different kind of testing. Sometimes when we say “yes” to His voice, it’s not easy to rest in that answer. Because the Devil come to kill, steal, and destroy, the right direction is not always easy to walk towards.

When I finally said “yes” to God’s calling for me to move, I ran with it full force. But not too shortly after I faced challenges, discouragement, and hardships. People soon heard the news of my new chapter and mixed feeling were shared. Some were of course excited about the things that God was doing in my life, while others didn’t see it and discouraged me from leaving. Those words and thoughts sunk my heart quickly and it became heavy. My conversations to God soon became filled with “why?” and “are you sure?”. But He continued to push me forward and open the doors to make it possible.
My mother’s words lingered in my mind during this time… “An obedient child is a happy child.”. I saw that happiness present itself as I walked in obedience and started a new chapter of my life in Lynchburg. It was evident that I needed to be there as God had things to show and teach me there. Little did I know what was in store for me.

It’s one thing to say “yes” when it is easy to do, it’s another when it’s hard to do. There are some areas of life that you may not want to change for one reason or another. I am guilty of being “protective” or “guarded” over certain parts of my life, not wanting anyone to interfere. But God wants and needs an open heart, this is not always easy to have. This is where obedience is tested and challenged in our lives. When He tugs at that guarded area of our lives, are we going to loosen our grip and let Him work in it? I faced this question towards the end of the year and had to make a decision.

November and December marked a hard time for me in my life. I faced a lot of challenges, lack of joy & peace, restlessness, and things seemed to loose stability. As the weather got cold and gloomy, so did my heart and mind. I felt like I was at a roadblock and didn’t know how to break past it. Brokenhearted and weary conversations began to God, asking “why?” again. I felt Him tugging on me in an area of my life that I didn’t want Him too. My heart didn’t want to let Him change that area of my life, the only seemingly “stable” thing in my life. But I soon realized that He had been tugging on that area for a while and I had just been choosing to ignore His words. I had tried tirelessly to make things work together and remain stable in that area of my life. Pushing my way instead of heeding God’s wisdom, in fear of the pain that it would cause. I found myself in what seemed to be a game of tug of war with God. He would tug on my heart, telling me to let go, and I would tug back, not letting go. This resulted in utter exhaustion on my end… Looking back I can see God trying to speak to me, moving in that area of life to make things easier to let go, but I am stubborn. But God is a persistent God, especially when it comes to the well-being of His children.

The end of December, after a lot of stubbornness, I finally chose to be obedient and face the discomfort and pain that might be ahead. Now, I will not say that the path of obedience was not a painful one, because it was to an extent. That is a part of obedience sometimes though. Sometimes we have to go through the pain and discomfort to get to the reward. God taught this to me moving forward after the initial step out in obedience. I was placed in this spot of discomfort, things shifted, changed, and I realized how much I leaned on others. God showed me that I had become dependent on comfort from the people around me, rather than Him. I had made my life revolve around this one thing in my life, committing to do whatever it took to make it work. This meant even if it was unhealthy and God was calling me elsewhere.

Now that I had opened up my hands and let go, God could move in, bringing something I didn’t expect. The middle of January things began to change, a sense of renewal, peace, and joy invaded my life. I have watched God move in beautiful ways, making everything flow like a river. All the things that seemed to be frozen in place have begun to move again. I am in awe of God’s handiwork in my life and His unwavering love. He knew that in order for me to be ready for His purpose for me, I needed to grow in some areas. He knew what tests I needed to go through, what strengths I would need to develop, and what I needed to move from.
I needed to refocus my life on Him, depending on Him for my purpose and joy. He gives lasting sustainment that nothing else can provide for us. He is life and gives us breath.

What a wonderful feeling to walk in the way and blessings of your Creator. I have found so many blessings before me that are now ready to be received. Each day, I lift my hands to the Heavens and thank my Father for His tugging on my heart. I thank Him for His giving hands, patiences, persistence, and grace towards me. Where my feet walk now is all because of Him. This path was drawn by His hands with purpose, knowing what I longed for and needed. With the acceptance of His voice and choice of obedience, He could enter and reward.

Obedience comes with a reward. Maybe it doesn’t look like the reward that you thought or in the timing you thought it would… but it is still good. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your every thought, breath, desire, dream, and what will be best for you. He is your Creator that knit you together, wrote your name before it was spoken, and placed a purpose inside you. Remember this as you walk forward and are faced with the choice of obedience. Though it may be uncomfortable or even painful for a moment, if His hand is in it, He will not fail you.
With obedience, there must be trust also.

Lastly, I want to share what my “second mom” told me as I talked to her about learning obedience in the Lord. I had given her an update on how life had been and the lessons God was teaching me. Here’s her response-“Isn’t is amazing how if we will let go, God is standing there with a special gift that He has chosen for us. I know it wasn’t easy to let that go, but God does reward out obedience and seemingly painful sacrifices. Trusting His heart for us is still something I wrestle to believe and rest in. Your mom and I would talk about that quite a bit. He does desire to bless His children.”

He desires to bless you and me… Let us trust in Him and say “yes” to His voice.

-Alayna Joy

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6