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Obedience at my house, with a tween and teen boy, sounds something like this:
Me: Could you unload the dishwasher please, (insert name of son #1 here)?
Son #1: (Starts to load dishwasher, slowly) Sure. But has (insert name of son #2 here) taken out the trash yet?
Son #2, from upstairs: I did it two times already this week!! Did you see how much there was yesterday?
Son #1: Ya, but who cleans the nasty bathroom? That’s way harder!
It’s easy to spot the importance of a good attitude in conjunction with true obedience when it’s lacking in my offspring, but I find I am much more tolerant when I find such a lack within my own heart.
The dialogue in my head to God goes something like this:
God: Sarah, I want you to love others as I have loved you.
Me: Okay, God. But man, that would be much easier to do if those people would do what they were supposed to do! Then maybe I could love them better.
God: Sarah, I want you to love your children.
Me: I’ll sure try! But man, right now it’s so hard because they make me crazy some days. My co-worker’s kids can sit still for hours, and they seem so perfect. Sometimes I don’t know if I have what it takes to love them well.
God: Sarah, I want you to respect your husband.
Me: Wow, God. I’m seriously my husband’s biggest fan. But honestly, when sickness deems him weak, it’s harder to respect him. When I see his failures, when we struggle, when we argue, it’s harder to respect him. When I look around at other marriages, I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. Other couples seem to have it all together.
God: Sarah, look to Me, focus on Me! In Me, you have everything you need to obey me and live for my glory today.
Through the years, I have found that genuine obedience begins with an intentional and personal act of the will to focus my attention on God and no one and nothing else.
Sometimes life in ministry can be overwhelming! In light of this overwhelming reality, think through what God is asking of you today. Perhaps make a list with several columns: What God is asking of me, What others are asking of me, What I am asking of myself, etc. Ask for wisdom from the Lord to sort out which items truly belong in your “What God is asking” column and take some time to pray about how to respond in obedience in those areas. (Hint: the items that make this list should be found in scripture!)
I won’t share my lists 😊 But I will tell you some of my “God list” items (possibly my top three!):
1. Submit to my husband. (Ephesians 4:22) This has helped me in many areas, recognizing that God has placed me in a place of security under my husband’s headship. As he walks with the Lord, I can submit to him and trust him to make decisions for our family that honor the Lord. He is a godly man who wants to hear my opinion, but even the way I share that needs to be in a respectful way. This is a surefire way to bring glory to the Lord!
2. Love my children. (Titus 2:4) This whole passage is a challenge, but the part that really sticks out to me is loving my children, and that I am to be taught by (not in competition with or intimidated by) those who have gone before. This kind of love is “philos” love, described as: “a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection.” (Biblehub.com)
3. Forgive as I’ve been forgiven. (Colossians 3:13) I am super easily offended. So this is a biggie for me. Bearing with others, choosing to let things go and give them to God when I am offended, allowing Him to hear my pain and bear it for me, bearing the brunt of the hurt and choosing not to hold it against them, THIS is my obedience to Him. And I must believe He has given me all I need to live this out today!