Our hearts lead us into our consequences. A willing and obedient heart is filled with goodness. Unwilling and rebellious hearts empty into loss and destruction. 

We choose our own consequences. 

We determine our outcomes. 

We have been told we are the captains of our own ships. Typically unadvertised is the fact that we are also responsible when we get stuck in the mud or smashed on rocks. 

On the first day of class, a professor stood before the students and reviewed the syllabus. He explained with patience and kindness how the lectures would not cover everything students would be accountable for knowing on exams and papers. He patiently explained how grades for the coursework would be earned. He plotted the pathway toward excellence. 

Somehow, most students finished with less than excellent grades. They were unwilling to follow the pathway to excellent outcomes. They were disobedient when it came time to read and write in response to clear instructions and precise prompts. 

They wrecked their own boats. 

Living a ship-shape life is more than possible. It is likely. We can determine our own outcomes by cultivating a willing and obedient heart toward whatever God asks of us. He seeks our highest and best in all things. He loves us without limit. We are never out of his care. Joy is his disposition. 

We can lean into God’s goodness, or we can get in our own way. 

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I will live with a willing and obedient heart.

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Our Father, your plans for me are better than my plans for myself. I will cultivate a willing and obedient heart. I choose your goodness. I want what you want for me. Amen.