This week I was reminded of the beauty and simplicity of simply saying yes to God. To obeying what He asks us to do. To taking a step in the direction where doors and opportunities are open, and trusting Him with the rest.

This week I heard story after story of how God worked through the lives of those impacted by Next Step over the past ten years of ministry. The common theme in each story? You guessed it. It’s the obedience I am referring to above. The simple yes that leads to life-change. The simple yes that leads to a long-term, deeply rooted relationship with someone living in a community across the country. The simple yes that leads to sharing your story so that someone else can relate, connect, and understand God through it. These are a result of obedience. The result of a worship leader choosing to lead a song for worship she doesn’t personally like, but ended up changing the course of a student’s life on a mission trip because of the power and depth of the lyrics. The result of a youth leader making it a priority to bring his students back to the same community year after year, and ensuring the students visit each homeowner they worked with the summer before leading to lifelong friendships. The result of a summer staff member spending down-time after a long summer and before heading back to college, to visit a church where relationships were formed during their one week mission trip.

We might not always understand the depth of impact our decisions make on others. But what could your yes lead to? How might it impact someone’s life from an eternal perspective? How might it impact someone’s lens on Christianity? What domino effect will it have on those around you? This week, I’m going to focus on obedience. Then I can have peace knowing God can use my obedience to make more of a difference in other people’s lives then I ever could have imagined.