This last year was a whirlwind of change for me. Our family uprooted from the city we had lived in for over a decade — the city where my husband and I fell in love, the city where we found our first jobs, the city where we figured out life as newlyweds, the city where we navigated serious sickness and struggle, the city where our daughter was born.

We had a home there, and not just a physical one. Our community, our church, our jobs — we had a place that we knew, and people who knew us. We were settled.

And then, God.

God opened a new door for us, one that we knew we were meant walk through. My husband had the opportunity to go to graduate school, and that meant moving to a new state, finding a new home, and starting a new life where we hardly knew anyone. It meant, essentially, change.

For me, change has always felt gut-wrenching, difficult, gear-grinding tight. I have never loved change; I have usually avoided it.

But this past year felt like a gift unwrapped for me, given by my heavenly father. Because I found, for the first time in my life, that I was not terrified of the unknown. What I experienced this past year, as I prayed for help to accept and embrace the changes we were facing, was grace.

Grace because — as we stepped into the unknowns of a new city and a new home, seeking out new jobs and friends and a church — I found that I was filled with hope. Fear, yes, but more hope than fear. I found myself filled with expectation, and even with joy.

What grace! Grace because — as we said yes in obedience to the call of God — we were given was joy.

I am learning that joy is the fruit of obedience; joy is the natural response of saying “Yes!” to God.

Jesus unfolds this very thing to His friends before He obeys — all the way to His death on the cross:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” {John 15:9-11}

God loves us! And  when He offers us a new chance to obey — a chance that will involve change and transition — He is, essentially, offering us a new shot at joy.

Because when we obey His commands — when we say yes to Him — we not only experience His love, but we receive the treasure trove of joy He has to offer.

That was the gift God gave to me last year. As I rubbed up against the fear of change and the fear of the unknown in our circumstances, I experienced joy in Him, even through the unknowns of what was ahead.

God formed in me the pearl of joy through the rub of obedience.

Our circumstances were foggy for months, half a year. Transitioning our lives to a new state and starting over relationally was not easy. But I found, again and again, a deep delight in being where God had called us, and in simply being with Him in the change.

He is, after all, the pearl of greatest price, the treasure trove of joy Himself.

When we embrace change in our lives out of obedience to Christ, we will find Him to be the greatest joy of all. Whether or not the situation gets better or harder or easier, we can experience deep joy — not because of the circumstances, but because Jesus is there with us, through it all.

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Related: Place this eye-catching art print “I Call It Faith” in your home or office for ongoing inspiration to boldly express your faith and to keep trusting God in the everyday.

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