How can obedience be enjoyable?

Adherence feels burdensome to us. Whenever we're told to comply, it seems as though our freedom is being restricted. As if we were free... Our souls feel confined within our bodies, akin to a bird trapped in a cage...

Perhaps youngsters might not comprehend this, but as we age and our bodies ache, we often think, "This isn't who I am." Imagine if a 100-year-old were given the chance to don a 10-year-old's body. Can you picture how that centenarian would frolic on the grass like a child?

Adhering appears daunting to us... Immediately, pride and arrogance swell within us. When we adhere to the Creator's commands, a dissenting voice emerges within us... The whisper of Satan's rebellion... "You're special... Why should you submit? Live freely... No one can constrain you... My life, my decisions, my prerogative..."

But when we fall ill, when we're alone, when we face problems, we quickly raise our hands, seeking help... We feel our vulnerability...

Why is it that when we're healthy and content, we forget our Lord, yet when we're sick and troubled, we remember Him... In many verses of the Quran, it is stated, 'Man is indeed ungrateful.'.  

Whom do we obey, whom do we yield to?

Aren't we slaves to our work, obeying our bosses' commands to earn more money, working late into the night?

Aren't we, in order to pay off credit card debts, toil for hours every month, unable to find time to enjoy life, enslaved by the financial system?

Aren't we slaves to relationships, constantly rushing to meet others' expectations, neglecting our own happiness?

Aren't we, instead of believing in our own abilities and potential, slaves to the fears of others, waiting for them to believe in us?

Many more examples could be given. What I mean is, we enslave ourselves to those who don't value us, yet why do we not accept obedience to our loving, caring Lord?

Be careful, this is the work of Satan. He had sworn to deceive people.

It's time for liberation, time to experience the happiness of living in both this world and the Hereafter by obeying the Creator...

If you have an image of a creator in your mind, erase it! Because that, beyond your comprehension, is magnificent! Find the unique Allah (SWT), untainted by all your conceptions, and simply obey Him...

Not everyone who searches finds... Because even the term "finding" is His creation... Yet in the tribulations beyond our control in this world, let's see them as tests, erase what we've drawn in our minds, and, as our Prophet taught us, let's simply find Allah (SWT), love Him, and seek refuge in Him... It's time to obey what He commands and to possess beautiful morals...

Perhaps you don't want to obey the image of a creator you've drawn in your mind... But if we truly knew Him, obedience would be the most pleasurable and joyful pursuit...

"Not everyone who searches finds, but those who find are those who search." Bayazid-i Bistami