You Will Give Up What You Don't Understand

One thing I have learned over the years is that you will give up what you don't understand. You will walk away from things that were meant to bless you. You will mishandle things that were meant to sustain you. You will trade valuable things for temporary satisfaction because you don't fully understand what you possess. The Bible tells the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew. For years, I read that story and thought, how could somebody do something like that? How could you give away something so valuable for something so temporary? But the older I get, the more I realize people do it every single day.

We give up peace for chaos. We give up purpose for pleasure. We give up healing for familiarity. We give up healthy relationships because unhealthy ones feel comfortable. We give up our future trying to satisfy what we feel right now. The truth is, if you don't understand the value of a thing, you won't protect it. You won't steward it. You won't fight for it. You'll hand it over because you don't realize what it is costing you.

When I think about my own life, there were seasons when I didn't understand the value of peace. I didn't understand the value of boundaries. I didn't understand the value of rest. I didn't understand the value of my relationship with God the way I do today. So I traded those things. Not intentionally. Not because I wanted to destroy my life. I simply didn't understand what I was holding. I traded peace trying to keep people comfortable. I traded rest trying to prove myself. I traded my voice trying to avoid conflict. I traded my time trying to save people who didn't want to be saved. I traded my energy trying to convince people of things they had already made their minds up about. The cost was greater than I realized.

The older I get, the more I understand that everything has a cost. Peace has a cost. Growth has a cost. Healing has a cost. Boundaries have a cost. Obedience has a cost. There are some things you cannot carry into your next season. There are some conversations you can no longer entertain. There are some cycles you can no longer participate in. Not because you're better than anybody, but because you finally understand what it is costing you. Once you understand the cost, your decisions begin to change.

I think that's why I am so protective of my peace these days. Not because life is perfect. Life is still life. I still have responsibilities. I still have moments where I have to trust God through uncertainty. I still have things I am praying about and believing God for. But I understand now what it took to get here. I understand the tears. I understand the prayers. I understand the disappointments. I understand the valleys. I understand the lessons. I understand the process. When you understand the value of something, you stop giving it away so freely.

For years, I spent so much time trying to prove myself. Trying to be enough. Trying to earn love. Trying to earn acceptance. Trying to earn approval. I thought if I worked harder, achieved more, helped more people, and carried more responsibility, maybe I would finally feel enough. What I know today is that enough was never found in achievement. Enough was found in God. What God has for me does not require me to perform for it. What God has for me requires me to trust Him.

One of the greatest gifts God has given me in this season is contentment. Not because I have everything I want. Not because I have arrived. But because I finally understand what matters. I understand that peace is valuable. I understand that clarity is valuable. I understand that wisdom is valuable. I understand that God's presence is valuable. I understand that my relationship with Him is valuable. These are things that money cannot buy and the world cannot give.

I recently had a revelation that hit me deep in my spirit. You will risk what you don't understand. You will give up your birthright when you don't understand what a birthright is. That thing stayed with me. Esau didn't understand the weight of what he possessed, so he traded it for something temporary. How many times have we done the same thing? How many times have we traded what was eternal for what was immediate? How many times have we sacrificed peace trying to satisfy a temporary feeling? How many times have we abandoned purpose because the process became uncomfortable?

The enemy will always try to get you to exchange something valuable for something temporary. He will always try to convince you that what you need right now is more important than what God is building for your future. That's why wisdom matters. That's why discernment matters. That's why patience matters. Sometimes the greatest act of faith is simply refusing to trade away what God has entrusted to you.

Today, I thank God for wisdom. I thank Him for the lessons. I thank Him for the process. Most of all, I thank Him for teaching me the value of the things that money cannot buy. Peace. Contentment. Wisdom. Clarity. Healing. Purpose. His presence. Because now that I understand, I intend to protect it.