If you’re anything like me, the word obedience used to feel a little… heavy.
Not because I didn’t want to follow God, but because somewhere along the way, I confused obedience with perfection.
I thought obedience meant getting everything right.
Holding everything together.
Never messing up.
Always proving that I could handle what God gave me.
But this is what God has been rewriting in my heart:
Obedience isn’t pressure. It’s freedom.
Obedience doesn’t weigh us down. It lifts us up.
Obedience isn’t God demanding more. It’s Him inviting us into His best.
In A Pace of Grace, I write:
“When I feel the familiar pull to strive, I remind myself that God doesn’t require perfection; He desires my heart.”
That sentence came from a real moment—one where I felt like I was failing at everything. And all God whispered was,
“Just walk with Me.”
Not run.
Not hustle.
Not prove.
Just walk.
Obedience is not a task — it’s a relationship.
When we think of obedience apart from love, it becomes rigid and exhausting.
But when we think of obedience inside our relationship with God, everything softens.
A daughter doesn’t obey to earn her father’s love.
She responds to love that already exists.
That’s what obedience feels like with Jesus.
It’s closer to:
“Lord, I trust You enough to follow You.”
than
“Lord, I’m trying to be good enough for You.”
Jesus said,
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)
If what we’re carrying feels suffocating, chances are… it’s not obedience.
It’s striving.
Obedience is God saying:
“Let Me lead you into peace. Let Me show you the way.”
A moment God used to teach me this
There was a day when I felt like I was juggling too many responsibilities—ministry, motherhood, deadlines, expectations, and the inner voice telling me I wasn’t enough. I sat in my car, mentally listing everything I didn’t get done.
I asked God, “Am I failing?”
And He answered so gently,
“No, daughter. You’re just trying to lead when I’ve asked you to follow.”
That stopped me.
Because He was right.
I had taken back the reins.
I was trying to run ahead.
I was hustling for approval God had already given.
Obedience wasn’t asking more of me—it was asking me to slow down.
Obedience begins with one simple question
Instead of asking:
“What do I need to get done today?”
Ask:
“Lord, what is mine to carry today?”
This question re-centers everything.
It clears the noise.
It lifts the shame.
It breaks off the striving.
And it reminds us that God doesn’t assign us a whole year at once.
He gives us today.
And He gives us the grace for today.
How to Practice Light-Hearted Obedience This Week
Here are a few simple rhythms you can try:
01. Ask God for your assignment each morning
Just one thing.
One act of obedience.
One next step.
02. Pay attention to what brings peace
Obedience aligns with peace, not panic.
03. Release anything God didn’t ask you to carry
Expectations, guilt, unnecessary responsibilities, old habits.
You don’t need to drag along what God already lifted from you.
04. Celebrate small yeses
Obedience is built on tiny steps of trust.
You don’t need a grand moment to be obedient.
You just need a willing heart.
The Sweet Truth About Obedience
Obedience is not God testing us.
It’s God guiding us.
Protecting us.
Forming us.
Freeing us.
And above all…
Obedience is love in motion.
The more we walk with Him, the more we realize this is the lightest way to live.
✨ A Note About the Book
If this idea of surrender and “obeying without striving” speaks to you, Chapter 5 of A Pace of Grace goes deep into what I call Tenacious Grace — the grace that helps us cling to God even when the path feels uncertain.
I pray it blesses you when you read it.
