Obedience

It's nice to think of ourselves as obedient...
to God and whomever our earthly authorities may be.

It's easy to feel smug about a lack of conflict, and remember all the things that we are doing that we have been asked to do, and all of the things that we avoid because they won't please someone who we are called to obey. We can call to mind so many sacrifices for the cause of being obedient. All the times we stayed home or went somewhere because we were asked to. All the times we served cheerfully. All the times that we took God's Word seriously and acted upon it. We can mentally add up our brownie points for all the times we were compliant.

But if those times didn't require sacrifice and struggle on our part, those really don't count as anything to be proud of. Sure, they were good and right things. And, yes, if we had done the opposite, we would have been disobedient. BUT, when our authority's will is the same as ours, we are giving ourselves credit for doing what we would have chose to do anyway! It's easy to remember these times when obedience came easily, and then dismiss the occasional times our conscience nagged us, "You're doing your own will, not what you should be doing to obey those that God has placed over you for your good and growth..."

It's easy to feel like I'm obedient. But am I really?

A convicting quote hung on our bathroom wall for several years:

"Obedience is only tested when we confront
something we don't want to do."

~ Obedience is accepting "no" as the final answer.
No asking challenging questions, delaying discussions, no whining, no groans, no frowns, no murmurs.

~ Obedience is finding ways to overcome obstacles.
No negative thinking, no failure to be creative, no "I can't," no giving reasons why I can't do a job.

~ Obedience is doing what you're told,
even if it seems "stupid" and understanding the reasons later.