Trust and Obey
- Cathrine Schmelzer
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
“It's hard to set aside our own self-image and be obedient to the Father above all. But it changes lives.”
“But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5-6
Recently, my local mom group gave each member an opportunity to share their personal journey of faith. I sat quietly for the first few weeks, listening to everyone else, before I decided on what to share from my own story. I don’t have a huge conversion story filled with tears and fireworks. My story is more subtle, but it begins with someone who took the call of obedience seriously.
My story starts with an invitation that took place almost 50 years ago (I’m only 37). My dad was living in Seattle and serving in a branch of the US Navy. Someone there invited him to attend their church, and his life was changed.
Someone valued obedience to God over the risk of personal rejection. A simple invitation that could have caused awkwardness and loss of friendship was used by God to change my dad’s story, which in turn effected my life and the lives of my children.
I share this to point out that the fruit of obedience far exceeds the fruit of self-interest and preservation. When we decide to follow Jesus, to be obedient to His Word and Being, we essentially are killing off the part of us that acts for ourselves above all. Jesus didn’t live for Himself, but for service to others. He was fully rejected and humiliated by the leaders of His day, by the people He grew up with, and by much of the community He came to serve. But He was obedient to the Father anyway. Because He knew that the Father’s mission was more important than self-preservation.
It's hard to set aside our own self-image and be obedient to the Father above all. But it changes lives. When we stop thinking about ourselves, we start to see how God is moving in our communities. Our small acts of obedience, maybe an invitation to church or small group, or maybe even daily devotional emails, all have the Spirit-driven potential to change someone’s life and the life of their family.
Don’t be afraid. Trust and obey. The old Sunday school song has it right, “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”
We don’t always get to see the end result of our obedience. But we can trust that Jesus is always working and has placed us where we are for His purposes. When we can lean on Him and be obedient, there is truly no other peace and joy that compares.
Action Steps:
Pray for God to open your eyes to see where He is calling you to be obedient. It’ll look different for each of us. But remember the great commission, to love people and help them find the One who gave it all for them.
Written by Barbara, a mom who has never known a day without Jesus as Savior because of someone else’s obedience