The Subtle Thief Of disobedience

There's nothing quite like the frustration of being told, "Not yet." You're on a path, you can see what's ahead, and it looks so good, but the journey is moving slower than you planned. You may even be standing at a complete stop, with no options to choose from. That's when we hit the crossroads.

There will always be the temptation to sacrifice obedience for instant gratification. And sure, you can live your life just fine that way. Disobedience doesn't always end up blowing up in your face. Sometimes it's a subtle thief, dimming the light in your future. You can convince yourself you have it all, but when you cheat your journey, you miss the lessons along the way, which ultimately, will cause you to miss out on the fullness of God's greatest blessings.

In an example, imagine you have plans to go to your favorite restaurant, but your friend can't go until much later than you usually eat dinner. Then 6 pm rolls around, and you're getting starving. You decide you cannot wait any longer, so you go to Taco Bell. Now you have solved the problem of being hungry, but you're going to arrive at your favorite restaurant full of something else. You sought out what was available, and at dinner that night, you won't be able to enjoy the meal to its fullest.

I don't know about you, but I love being able to say that I worked hard for something. And let me tell you, obedience is hard work. The "meal" that you're waiting for isn't going to be just as good as you thought it would be. It's always going to be better than you could ever imagine.

A slow point or even a halt on your path doesn't have to lead to accepting less than you deserve. You might need to do some tough things and make some severe changes in your life to experience the full, unedited version of God's plan. But it's worth it. Don't fill up on what's available while you're waiting for what you've been preparing for. Allow the hunger during the wait to make you stronger and more determined to experience all that is to come.