When Jesus Calls You to Do What You Don’t Want to Do

This Christian mom podcast encourages moms to trust God and follow Jesus, even when obedience feels uncomfortable, messy, or hard.
If you’ve ever wrestled with a hard yes, this episode is for you.

What do you do when Jesus asks you to do something you don’t want to do?

In this episode of Real Moms, Real Faith, Jenna Marie Masters talks about obedience when it feels uncomfortable, messy, or even painful. Through everyday mom moments and Peter’s story of walking on water, we’re reminded that obedience flows from love—not perfection.

The real question isn’t “Can I do this?”
It’s “Do I love the one who’s calling me?”

This episode will encourage you to say yes to Jesus, even when the yes feels hard, and to model that love and trust for your kids in simple, practical ways.

🎧 Family devotional + reading plans available
📖 February Gospel Reading Challenge begins February 1
💛 Share this episode with a mom who needs encouragement today

Transcript

Welcome And Today’s Hard Question

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This is Jenna Marie Masters with the Real Mom's Real Faith Podcast. I am so glad you're here so you can be encouraged to trust God with all the things one day at a time. Hey, welcome back to the Real Mom's Real Faith Podcast. I'm so glad

When God Calls You Into Discomfort

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that you are here. Today we're talking about something that maybe we don't want to talk about. What do you do when Jesus calls you to do something you don't want to do? I think everyone here listening has had that experience. What if he asks you to do something that is stretching you or something that is uncomfortable, something that might hurt? We all know that following Jesus does not mean our whole life's gonna be peaceful and wonderful. Sometimes he calls us straight into things we would rather avoid. And here's the question I keep coming back to when I think of it. Do you love and trust the one who is calling you? Because if we're clear on who is calling us, I think our obedience becomes simpler, not easier, but clearer. Do you love him?

The Slippery Fish Under The Oven

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I've shared before about a fish that we had. His name was London. He was my daughter bottom. She likes love this fish. And because she loved this fish, I was determined to love this fish too. And this fish was super squirmy. I mean, every time I tried to clean his bowl, he would jump out. It was just a whole situation. And then one day my daughter asked, Hey, can I do it? Can I scoop him out of the net and put him into the clean bowl? And I was really hesitant because I know this fish and he's just super sassy. And I was like, okay, you can try it. I let my daughter scoop the fish up into the net. And what do you think happened? He jumped out of that net, splat on the floor, and slid under the oven. My daughter is screaming, I can't see where the fish is. I get on all fours. I start peeking in there and I can see him kind of far away. All I can think to do is grab a butter knife. I had to ask Alexa, is a butter knife sharp enough to accidentally cut a beta fish? I mean, this is the kind of stuff you find yourself saying sometimes as a mom, right? And I had really had it with this fish. I remember specifically telling this fish, if you jump out, I'm not picking you up again. But when it actually happened and I saw my daughter crying, I knew I couldn't let him die on this sticky kitchen floor under my oven. So I got the butter knife, I flicked him out. He was hopping all over. I picked him up in my hands, and it was disgusting. Like he was slimy, he was kind of soft. It was just, it's just not my thing. And I wanted to save this fish because my daughter loved this fish and wanted me to save

Love That Picks Up The Ick

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this fish. Look, last night, my son woke up at 3 a.m. vomiting. He didn't make it to the toilet in time. So I was there cleaning up the hallway, getting a wet washcloth for his forehead, making sure he was okay. It was gross. But you know why I did that? Because I love him. And every mom listening knows exactly the kind of love I'm talking about. We take care of the ick. We don't hesitate when our kids need us. And then it hit me. When my kids want me to do something uncomfortable, when my kids need something from me, when my kids want me to pick up something gross, something I don't want to do, I don't hesitate. I am there. So why do I hesitate when God, who created me, who has given everything for me, asks me to do uncomfortable things or things I don't want to do. There's a major disconnect there if I really think about it. Shouldn't we love God even more than we love our

Peter’s Step Onto The Water

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kids? It makes me think of Peter. You know, Peter in Matthew 14, there's a story that talks about Jesus coming out and walking on the water towards the disciples, and they're terrified. They think he's a ghost. And Jesus says, Take courage, it is I, don't be afraid. And Peter responds with one clarifying question: Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water. Peter simplifies it. He says, If it's you, Jesus, I'll step out. If it's you, Jesus, I'll leave what's safe. I'll attempt the impossible because he loved him. And Jesus simply says, Come. Peter steps out of the boat. He walks on water. Yes, he looks at the wind. Yes, he starts to sink. He's human. We are never gonna love Jesus perfectly. We are going to screw this thing up. The beautiful thing is Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches Peter. Maybe the question isn't is can I do what Jesus is asking me to do? Maybe the question is simply, is Jesus calling me? And do I love him? Something I love so much about Peter is he is the same Peter who walked on water, but he's also the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times before the crucifixion. And after Jesus rises from the dead, do you know what he asks Peter? He doesn't ask him, Why did you fail me? He doesn't say, What do you have to say for yourself? Which is probably what I might say. Jesus asks him three times, Do you love me? I really think that Jesus just knew Peter needed to refocus on why his obedience mattered. Why did he follow Jesus in the first place? It wasn't shame, it wasn't guilt. And when Peter says, Yes, Jesus, I love you, Jesus calls him to do something. He says, Then feed my sheep, take care of my sheep.

Restored Love, Renewed Obedience

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John 14, 15, Jesus says, If you love me, keep my commands, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. The spirit of truth, he says, If you love me, keep my commands, and guess what? I'm gonna help you to do that. Jesus restores Peter and sends him right back to kingdom work because Jesus has not called us to comfort, right? He has called us to the kingdom. And Mama, that's for us too. We're not gonna love Jesus perfectly. We're gonna mess this up, but God's gonna look at our hearts and he's eager to restore us, to set us back on the path and refocus on what matters. Do you love him? Because he loves us so much, he gave his life for us. I really feel the Lord is asking each of us to do something that we don't want to do. Something uncomfortable, something gross like picking up a fish or cleaning up vomit. I don't know what it is, but something that we're hesitant and we're holding back. And I believe Jesus is asking you, do you love me? If you love me, you're gonna want to follow me to the hard things. So I want to encourage you, maybe Jesus is calling you to a hard conversation, maybe to step into a role you feel unqualified for, maybe he's calling you

Saying Yes To Hard Things

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to wait when you want to run or pick up something that you once felt like was unbearable, even when it feels scary, even when it feels messy, even when it feels impossible, because the one who's calling you loves you. And the truth is we can't fall in love more and more with anybody if we don't know them, if we don't spend time with them, if we are not reading the words of the person that we're supposed to be in love with and build our life around. How are we getting to know him? So, mamas, get into your Bible, talk to him all day. I mean, praying is something so immediate that you can do. Yes, Jesus was a rabbi, and think about this, his followers spent their lives listening to him, walking with him, learning his ways, being covered in the dust that he would kick up as he walked on these dusty roads. We have the four gospels at our fingertips, full access, 24 hours a day. And when we read his word, we're really spending time

Know Him To Love Him More

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with the one who loves us. And the quicker we're gonna be able to say, Yes, Lord, I love you. Yes, Lord, I'll follow you into that place. I don't want to go. Just like Peter, walking on water in a storm. That could have not been an easy or desirable thing he wanted to do, but he looked past it all and he said, Wait a minute, are you calling me Jesus? If it's you, I'm coming. Oh my gosh, I want to be like that this year. And you know what? I'm gonna mess up like Peter. I am going to look away and I am going to sink. I will probably do things that will deny him in my heart. And every time Jesus is gonna come back and say, Do you love me because I love you? Let's try this again. I have a hard yes that I'm wrestling with this season. I do believe God is calling me and my family into something. So I'm starting here. I'm starting here and I'm saying, God, this thing that's on my heart, that's in my mind, is it you? If it's you, Lord, help me to fall in love with you so much that this hard yes becomes an easier yes. And I never want to end this podcast without bringing it home to your kids because everyone listening to this wants their kids to fall in love with Jesus too. So here are a few practical ways to model your love for Jesus in front of your kids. Number one, sit down and make a list of all the reasons you love him. We need to do this for our own

Practical Ways To Model Love

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hearts. And then if we share it with our kids, imagine what it will do for theirs. And then you can invite them to write their own list of reasons why they love Jesus. And the list might surprise you. The second thing you can do is pick out some worship songs that just remind you how much you love Jesus and how much he loves you. You can just play him in the kitchen, you can play them in the car, but make a point to tell your kids this week I'm listening to the song because it reminds me how much I love Jesus and how much he loves us. And then you can ask them, are there any worship songs that you love that you want to listen to right now? I love the tone that this is gonna set in our homes. And number three, in February, I'm starting a gospel reading challenge. Personally for myself, I would love for you to join me. I'm gonna be reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all in one month. I've made a simple reading plan I would love to send to you. I'll have it on my Instagram. You can go on there and just comment the words know Jesus and I'll send it your way. We'll be starting February 1st in Matthew. And I'm also gonna make a reading plan that's easier for your kids to follow along that just pulls out key scriptures for them to go through so they can hear the words of Jesus while he was here on earth. And our kids don't need to know like just Bible facts, they need to know Jesus. So even short readings help. One story, one moment, and then one question. What did you notice about Jesus here? And when kids start to see who Jesus is, how he treats people, how he loves them, how he responds, our prayer is that they begin to trust him. And love follows trust. Like I said, I'm really excited to get those reading plans both for you and for your children. And also there will be a family devotional available for this podcast as

Reading Challenge And Final Encouragements

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well. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with another mom who may need a friend or may need to be reminded that she is loved by God today. If you have a moment, if you could hop onto the podcast and rate it and leave a review if this is something that has blessed you, it's super helpful because it helps the podcast get to more moms and get Jesus to more people. Please pray for my son to get better because I am out of Clorox wipes. So bye. Don't forget to follow, save and share, and subscribe. You're awesome. Give it up for our mommy! Yellow we ask.