If I’m being honest, most of the real growth in my life has come from doing the things I didn’t want to do.
That’s a tough truth. I’d rather believe progress comes from inspiration, clarity, or when I “feel ready.” But it rarely works that way. More often, it comes through resistance—through showing up when I’d rather avoid, through action when everything in me says delay.
It reminds me that God gives us what we need, not always what we want.
And a lot of what we need shows up disguised as inconvenience, discomfort, or effort. The very things we try to push away are often the doorway to growth. On the other side of what I resist is usually progress—less control, more surrender, and a step closer to God.
I’ve seen it play out over and over. The longer I delay what I know I need to do, the more I stay stuck. I think about it, wrestle with it, try to control it, build a narrative around it… when the real answer is simple: just do it.
Not perfectly. Not with complete understanding. Just faithfully.
In AA, I tell the guys I sponsor the same thing: do the work. Especially the parts you don’t want to do. Because that’s where the shift happens. That’s where you start to realize that much of what you’ve been carrying was never yours to hold in the first place.
At the root of my resistance is control. I want things my way, on my timing, with certainty. But the truth is, very little in life is actually in my control. And the more I fight to hold onto it, the further I drift from peace.
Faith asks something different of me.
It asks me to move anyway. To trust anyway. To let go anyway.
If everything in life worked out exactly how I wanted, I probably wouldn’t need God. But it’s in the friction—the setbacks, the uncertainty, the things I wish were different—that I’m pointed back to Him. Not as punishment, but as direction.
Those moments reveal where I still need to grow, where I still need to surrender.
So the practice for me is simple, but not easy:
Do the thing I don’t want to do.
Trust God with the outcome.
Let go of what isn’t mine to carry.
I’ve talked about this enough. Now it’s on me to live it.
Scripture
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” — Luke 9:23
Closing Prayer
Lord,
Give me the strength to do what I resist and the humility to trust You in it. Help me release my need for control and walk forward in faith, even when it’s uncomfortable. Teach me to see Your hand in the things I’d rather avoid, and to follow You daily—not just when it’s easy, but when it costs me something.
Amen.
