“I will run in the way of your commands when you enlarge my heart.” (Psalm 119:32)

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

“Consider the lilies” (Luke 12:27)

There are commands that feel like commands, and commands that do not feel like they are commands.

“Consider the lilies” does not feel like a command even though it is. Its God telling you to quit the worrying, get out, get some sunshine, breathe deeply and take in some lilies – and throw in some roses, azaleas and orchids, while you are at it.

On the other hand, being reminded of “love your enemies” or “turn the other cheek” when a coworker offends you, can make you feel like Sisyphus, rolling a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again – a huge burden.

So why the difference?

In Process: When our heart is enlarged by God, it is enlarged to others. When hearts are enlarged, we can run – run to “forgive seventy times seven” because it is no longer a burden. We can run to “consider others more important than ourselves” (Phil. 2:2). And also run to “love our enemy” because nothing is a burden. Nothing feels like a command. 

When the heart widens, the commands lighten.

E.g. Our hearts are naturally enlarged towards friends and family. It is easy to do things for them. However it is much harder to do something for a stranger.