Alignment Over Hustle: A Lesson in Obedience

• By candidasullivan
• January 1, 2026
• No Comments

Serving God and following Him doesn’t always look like I think it should. The difference between my will and God’s will is astounding. It’s hard to break old patterns and allow God to teach me.

I want to think my thoughts, do things my way, and then ask God to bless my efforts. But what if it’s not my effort God blesses, but my obedience?

I can put a lot of effort into the wrong thing. I can wear myself out trying to figure it all out and do it all at once. I can spend years going in the wrong direction, focusing on the wrong things. And eventually, it tears me down, causes frustration, and even makes me question God. When the truth is, I wasn’t following Him in the first place.

I did this once with a book.

God gave me the gift to write, and instead of seeking His guidance, I went off on my own. I wrote an 80,000-word book that was not God’s will for me. I struggled through it, felt the Spirit trying to get my attention, but instead of stopping to pray for direction, I asked God for the strength to finish.

And God granted my prayer.

I finished the book. I even found an agent who was interested in it. But before I sent the manuscript, God opened my eyes. He showed me clearly that it wasn’t the type of book I was supposed to write. It wasn’t aligned with who He created me to be.

If I had published that book, it could have hurt my writing journey. It was everything I wasn’t.

God didn’t bless my effort because my effort wasn’t aligned with Him. What felt like wasted time later became a lesson in discernment and obedience. One I carry with me now.

I’ve learned this:
If something comes from God, I don’t have to force it.
God’s instructions are usually simple—so simple that I stumble over them because I expect them to be complicated.

As I end this year, I want to sit with the Lord intentionally. I want to ask the hard questions and listen carefully for His answers:

• Where did I go wrong this year?
• What should I have done differently?
• What do You want me to do in the new year?

Instead of waiting a full year to check in with God, I want to learn to do it daily and weekly. I want to stay aligned with Him instead of drifting.

I want His guidance. I want to do this work with Him. Not a version I design on my own, but exactly what God wants me to do.

In the new year, I want to live by faith and trust the Lord completely.

Psalm 37:4–5 (KJV)
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

I don’t want to do only part of what God asks of me. I want to do it all. I want to grow closer to Him and live my very best life. The kind of life that can only come from obedience.

What about you?
What do you want the new year to look like for you?