You May Not See It Now…
I remember, when I was younger, my mom would tell me to do my homework. She would then walk upstairs to take care of my brothers. I had two choices. I could either do my homework or I could do anything else. Every time, I would chose the latter of the two. Playing with friends, watching television, or even staring blankly at a wall seemed like more fun than doing my homework. When my mom would come back to the kitchen table to see my progress, she would always give me ‘the mom look’. She would sit in the chair next to me and say, “Sweetie, did you do your homework?”
Even though she already knew I had not, she would wait for my response. She would close my books and say, “I know you don’t like doing your homework. I know it is not always fun and it’s sometimes hard, but when you listen and obey your teachers and your mom, you will get such a great reward. I know you don’t see it right now but one day you’ll be able to look back at where you have come from and you will be so glad you put in all of the hard work to get there.”
And at that moment, as a little fourth grader, my mom taught me something so much more important than just learning long-division. When I transfer that lesson over to my walk with Christ, it translates almost perfectly.
God called me to Philadelphia. He called me to a huge city outside of my comfort zone. He called me to work with the lost, the poor, and the lonely. He called me to walk the street and do life with people that I use to try to ignore. I did not want to answer His call. I tried to ignore God and this fire He had put in my heart; but every time I tried to choose a different, easier path, I felt so unsettled and unfulfilled.
God was telling me to where to go and what to do. He gave me space to follow Him and, instead of following Him, I just want to hang out with friends, binge Netflix, or even just stay in bed and stare at the ceiling. By God’s good grace, He came back to where I left Him and sat next to me. He said, “I know I have not called you somewhere easy. I know it will not always be fun and it is going to be hard, but when you listen and obey me, you will get such a great reward. I know you don’t see it right now but one day you’ll be able to look back at where you have come from and you will be so glad you put in all of the hard work to get there.”
But You’ll See It Later…
In Matthew 4, Jesus is talking to two brothers and tells them to follow Him. It says they left their jobs and immediately followed Jesus and became His disciples. Those two brothers walked with Christ and were persecuted and later were martyred for Christ’s sake. They probably could not imagine the impact that they would have on the rest of human history and how many lives they inspired.
Following God does not always seem like the fun choice and it is definitely not always the easy choice, but it will always be worth it. You might not see it today or tomorrow or even in 10 years. But, God does not forget and you will be rewarded for your obedience and faithfulness to Him.
