Obedience Before Understanding: How I Learned to Stop Forcing God’s Timing скачать в хорошем качестве

Obedience Before Understanding: How I Learned to Stop Forcing God’s Timing

Obedience before understanding sounds beautiful on paper—until you’re the one living it. I used to think obedience meant saying yes when God’s direction made sense, when the numbers added up, when the doors swung open perfectly and the timeline felt clean. But what happens when obedience looks like walking away from a dream you want… before you understand why? What happens when the answer is “not yet” and everything in you is wired for now? This episode is my heart on the table about that tension—especially for those of us who are dreamers, builders, and doers. In this episode, I walk through three specific chapters of my Hustle & Heart story: The opportunity to open a second location when another salon was closing. The “golden” offer from a building owner that fell apart the day before my lease expired. The dream of opening a city location with my stylist Anna—and the mutual conviction to lay it down. Each one looked like a dream on paper. Each one carried excitement, potential, and possibility. And each one ended with a no or a not yet that felt like heartbreak before it felt like protection. Key Themes & Takeaways -- Dreaming is God-given—forcing is not. The problem isn’t that we dream big. The problem is when we decide that a God-given dream must happen our way and on our timeline. -- Discernment protects what desire can’t see. Dreamers feel deeply, but discernment is what keeps us from building something beautiful in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people. -- Obedience often feels like loss before it feels like peace. Laying down opportunities—from second locations to new leases to expansion plans—felt like failure in the moment. Looking back, they were mercy. -- Red flags are kindness, not challenges. If you have to talk yourself into peace, it isn’t peace. God will never require you to betray your peace to obtain a dream He gave you. -- Your body is often the first messenger of the Holy Spirit. Tight chest, shallow breathing, hot anxiety, scattered thoughts—these aren’t just “stress.” Often, it’s discernment speaking through your body before your mind catches up. -- Waiting is spiritual strength training. No seed God plants is meant to bloom overnight. Waiting is where He grows your leadership, clarity, identity, and capacity so the blessing doesn’t crush you when it finally comes. -- At the end of the day, “obedience before understanding” is about choosing -- His pace over your pressure, His whisper over your urgency, and His protection over your timeline. Favorite Quotes from This Episode Here are a few lines that really hold the heart of what we talked about: “A God-given dream pursued outside of God’s timing becomes a burden, not a blessing.” “The phone call I thought was ruining everything was actually God saving everything.” “If you have to talk yourself into peace, it isn’t peace.” “Red flags are not a challenge to defeat—they are kindness from a God who doesn’t want you walking into unnecessary pain.” “Waiting isn’t wasted time; it’s formative time. God loves you too much to rush what He’s still strengthening you to hold.” Chapter Markers 00:00 – Obedience Before Understanding 02:36 – The Gift & Temptation of Being a Dreamer 04:31 – The Second Location That Never Was 06:23 – The “Golden” Opportunity That Fell Apart 09:26 – The City Location with Anna 12:01 – Preparation, Not Punishment 16:07 – Pressure vs. Peace 19:13 – Waiting as Strength Training 20:41 – Expansion in God’s Timing Your Turn If you’re in a “not yet” season, I want you to hear this: you’re not behind, you’re not forgotten, and you’re not failing. You’re being led. The same God who planted that dream in you is the one who knows exactly when and how to bring it to life—without asking you to sacrifice your peace to get there. This week’s reflection: Where are you feeling pressure to force something—and what would it look like to choose peace and obedience over urgency, even before you understand? Take that to your journal, to prayer, or even into a conversation with a trusted friend. Pay attention to what your body does when you think about that decision or that dream. Is your chest tight or are your shoulders dropping? Are you scrambling to justify it, or do you feel settled? Obedience begins where understanding ends. And I promise—you are not walking that out alone. 🤍 💛 Let’s Stay Connected I really do mean it when I say: my DMs are always open. ✨ Got a story to share? A moment that hit home? Slide in anytime. Here’s where to find me and go deeper: Instagram →⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠  / ⁠⁠   Podcast blog →⁠ ⁠https://hustleandheartsalon.com/blog/⁠⁠ Salon home →⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://hustleandheartsalon.com/ MB0178REW5RKJXB