What does God want? What does it mean to give Him everything? When you make a decision, and you feel peaceful about the decision, you expect living out the decision will be easy. However, we are promised that lives as Christians will be difficult and full of challenges to our faith. Just because we know we made the right decision doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of hurdles to overcome after we’ve made it.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the Harry Potter movies. Professor Dumbledore says, “There comes a time when we must choose between doing what is right and what is easy.” Well, isn’t that the dang truth?? Even something as simple as finding a fifty dollar bill in a public hallway brings that choice before you. Do you look around and, not seeing anyone about, slip the bill into your pocket? Or do you find a nearby security desk and turn it in hoping it’ll make its way back to whoever lost it? One is right, but the other is so much easier…

When it comes to matters of the heart, the cost of right versus easy is even greater. Sometimes we get tossed into confusion by our circumstances, and at times like those it’s much more tempting to choose easy over right. At times like those, we are much more tempted to choose self.

We find ourselves wanting to do whatever we can to make the pain stop. We run away, whether literally or simply emotionally. We confront and shoot verbal darts intended to inflict pain, almost as though we believe we can drain some of our pain off onto someone else. There are so many different avenues for us to travel when running from pain. But none of them lead where we want, which is to peace.

There is no great equation for finding peace. It’s always a choice. When I choose to focus on self, I find pain. When I choose to focus on the things of God, I find peace. That means having more faith in what He can do through us, than in what we think we can/have/or will ever do all on our own. The instant we think it’s all up to us is the instant we choose self.

“Now large crowds were going along with Jesus; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]— he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple.” Luke‬ ‭14:25-27‬ ‭AMP‬‬