If only I had Listened...

But He said, “ More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
(Luke 11:28, NKJV)

Last Friday my oldest child, Cortni, came for a weekend visit. We hadn't seen each other for over six weeks because I was on the mainland for a month and then on Kauai for two weeks. For us, six weeks is a very long time. We were really looking forward to our visit.

I was tired and preoccupied from flying alone with my youngest two girls, working off island, etc. Once we landed, instead of coming home, I went into town to run errands which only increased the fatigue and preoccupation.

Once Cortni arrived, we took my dog for a walk. I was wearing a pair of worn out flip flops. They were a little hard to walk in because the toe part was stretched out. God said, "Change your shoes." it wasn't an audible voice. More of a "sensing", a leading of the Holy Spirit to change my shoes. I thought, "My walking shoes are packed, the dog is already on the leash, and Cortni is already waiting for me outside."

Yes, I walked out the door failing to heed God's voice.

About 20 minutes into our walk, I "heard" God again say, "Go change your shoes." Again, I reasoned/whined, "We aren't going to walk long. I'd have to go all the way back home to change shoes. Why do I need to change shoes anyway...their just shoes!"

I didn't really intend to be outright disobedient to God, I wasn't breaking one of the ten commandments! I wasn't arguing with God. It was more of a ever so slightly prodding that I ignored.

Cortni and I were both tired from the week's events and didn't intend to walk long but it took longer for us to catch up than we thought so we kept walking...and walking...and walking. We ended up walking for several hours.

I was too tired and too preoccupied to stop long enough to do one simple thing, simply obey the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, my reasoning and excuses completely drowned out His voice.

Later that night, it occurred to me why God had told me to change shoes. My ankles and knees were aching so badly, it took several hours to go to sleep. Having to pinch the shoes with my toes to keep them on while I walked had tweaked my ankles. The next morning, I could hardly walk.

We hosted a party on Sunday. Instead of enjoying our guests, I was in a lot of pain. I also had a photo shoot, which was done...in pain.

Simple math: Failure to listen = PAIN!

Today is Monday, I'm currently laying on the couch with taped ankles doing the ice-heat-ice-heat routine.

As I sat here wishing I were walking the beach waiting for the sun to set instead of laying on my couch with my ice pack and heating pad, I thought, "If only I had listened..."

As soon as that thought popped into my head, this one followed, "How many times have I thought, if only I had listened..."

God is always with us. (Hebrews 13:5)
He tells us what we don't know. (Jeremiah 33:3)
He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)

Since God cared enough about the shoes I was wearing, how much more does He care about the more significant and more permanent areas of our lives?

Who we seek counsel from. (Psalm 1:1)
Who we marry. (Matthew 19:6)
Who our friends are. (Proverbs 13:20)

What could have been a three minute task has turned into a three day task. All I had to do was dig my shoes out of my suitcase but instead, through disobedience, I am dealing with taped ankles and the ice-heat-ice-heat routine. In other words, PAIN!

GRRRRRR!

Lessons learned:

When He speaks to me about change, just shut up, and change. (James 1:22)
Hear, listen, then immediately do. (John 10:27)
Changing from my ways to His ways result in being blessed. (Luke 11:28)

My prayer for every reader today is to hear and do!