I once heard it said, “delayed obedience is disobedience”. Boy, let that one soak in for a minute. For me, it’s taken many minutes… Maybe more like a lifetime.
I’d love to give you the whole long story, but it might take chapters. So this is what I’ll tell you…
I’m an idea person. Forever coming up with some “great” idea. Execution is my problem. Not many of my ideas come to be.
This particular idea was different… That voice in my heart said… This idea is what God has for you. It was unique, it was out of my comfort zone, it was not of my making. And for all of those reasons, I let it sit on the back burner… The very back burner! I didn’t follow through, I didn’t put the work into it that it would have required, but every once in awhile I thought of it. It haunted me.
Five years later, this week in fact, I heard that voice again, and this time I said…”okay God, I’m doing it”. I’ll have to admit, I felt pretty excited getting on board with God. It felt great. “I’m doing this, I’m doing this!”
Until…I began to finally move forward. Do you know what I found? Someone else had made it happen!
My idea… My God given idea… Had been given to another.
Disappointment? Yes. In myself. For not obeying what I clearly knew was God’s voice five years earlier.
And two things came to me:..
Luke 16:10
10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.
And… “Delayed obedience is disobedience”.
I believe God hears my prayers of repentance, I believe He’s a God of 2nd chances. And I believe that this has been a Lesson Learned.
49andcounting 