March 14 – You are Free to Choose, Not Compelled
Obedience is never the result of coercion; it flows naturally from love. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
When I first worked with Robert Fritz after selling the business, one of his early challenges to me was to stop operating from a place of obligation. For most of my life, I had done things because I thought I “had to” — to keep the peace, to meet expectations, to avoid disappointing someone. Fritz invited me to consider what it would be like to act from choice rather than compulsion. That shift was subtle, but it changed the entire energy of my life.
Operating out of obligation feels heavy. It drains joy and creativity because the focus is on meeting external demands rather than living from an internal center. Acting from choice, on the other hand, brings lightness. It’s rooted in freedom — the freedom to say yes because it aligns with who God made me to be, and the freedom to say no when it doesn’t.
I’ve learned that God doesn’t coerce us into His purposes. He draws us forward with love, allowing us the dignity of choice. When our actions flow from that place, we discover that obedience is no longer a grim duty but a willing response to the One who first loved us.
Scripture
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17
Ancient Quotes
The soul is moved by love, not by compulsion; by desire, not by force.
St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue, ch. 60
Nothing is more free than the soul guided by love. It acts without constraint, without calculation, and without fear.
St. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God, Book I, ch. 6
Modern Quotes
Obedience is never the result of coercion; it flows naturally from love. When we are drawn by love rather than driven by fear, our yes becomes a joy instead of a duty.
Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, p. 108
Obligation is a poor substitute for true desire. When we act from obligation, our freedom is diminished and our energy fades. When we act from what we genuinely want to create, energy and freedom return.
Robert Fritz, The Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life
Journaling Prompts
- Where in your life are you acting from obligation rather than choice?
- How does the idea that God draws rather than drives you change your view of obedience?
- What might shift if you only said yes to what aligns with your deepest calling?
- How can you invite more freedom and less compulsion into your daily walk with God?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 11 Reflection: Driven vs Drawn