So the people left the place where they had camped, and they followed the priests who carried the Ark of the Agreement across the Jordan River. During harvest the Jordan overflows its banks. When the priests carrying the Ark came to the edge of the river and stepped into the water, the water upstream stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river near Jericho. The priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while all the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land. Joshua 3:14-17

Sometimes you have to get wet to keep others dry. What if the priests had decided they didn’t want to get wet?

Sacrifice isn’t easy. When we think it is, we’re usually choosing the areas of sacrifice we’ve enjoyed. There are also the tough sacrifices. Sacrifices can be risky, time-consuming, and painful. But when God says to do something, whether we like it or not, whether it’s comfortable or not, we must be obedient. We weigh so many choices placed before us as Choice A and Choice B. We make pros and cons lists. We ask friends’ opinions. We do the research. We question ourselves. We play eeny-meeny-miney-mo. We flip a coin. We agonize.

The choice is always simple (but still not usually easy). The choice is obedience. What does God want us to do? Once we have that answer, we’re ready to choose. The truth is it’s often hard to discern, because we’re not always choosing between what’s good and bad. We know we should say “no” to the bad. In many cases, we don’t even stop to process such choices. We struggle when we’re faced with two choices between good and good. Neither seems wrong or contrary to God’s will, so how do we then decide?

We don’t need a pros and cons list. We just need to seek God’s best. The choice between good and good, when made in obedience to God’s will, is the best, because God’s will is the best choice we can make.

Live it. Wet shoes aren’t comfortable, but when you’re following God, your feet will sometimes get wet as you step out in obedience. Get your feet wet today. Step in a puddle or put your socks on freshly showered feet. Remind yourself of the benefits of obedience even when it’s uncomfortable.