Be honest, how many times have you said this to your kids? For me, it’s usually when I’m in a hurry. Get in the car. Hold this bag. Move out of the way. Most of these statements are like little switches that flip in my four-year-old's head that makes his automatic response be “Why?”. “Because I said so” seems to be the easiest response. I feel like Nike really missed out on a marketing opportunity with moms. “Just do it” could have been a lot bigger if they would have just let moms do all the advertisements.
We expect our kids to do exactly what we say, exactly when we ask them to do it, no questions asked. Radical obedience. Ponder this for a minute, do you exhibit radical obedience to your Heavenly Father? Ouch. Yeah, it hurt me too. When God tells you to do something, do you drop everything and do exactly as he says precisely when he says to do it? What if it’s really inconvenient for you? For example, I was driving one day and I saw this young adult on the side of the road with a sign that said something about needing money. If I’m being really honest, I didn’t even read the entire thing. I drove past him but I felt God say “Go buy that kid a meal”. I had every excuse in the book. I’m going to be late for work. He wants money not food. What if he’s a murderer? (You’ve used this one too, don’t lie). I turned around and went back to the guy anyway and asked him if I could buy him lunch. He smiled and said, “yes ma’am that would be great”. First of all, “ma’am” made me about as uncomfortable as an old bra with the wire poking through and stabbing me in the armpit when I least expected it. I’m 30 kid, chill. I walked the kid into the fast-food restaurant and bought him two meals. He thanked me and I left. If you were waiting to read that I was able to lead him to Christ at that Wendy’s table, you’re going to be disappointed. That’s the end of the story. That’s all that happened. I still don’t know why God wanted me to feed that kid. I may never know. Just like my kid will never know why I ask him to do certain things.
Maybe one day he will get that you have to pick up your Legos so your sister doesn’t eat them, choke and die. Dramatic but real. Maybe one day I will see why God asks me to do certain things. Until then, we have to obey our Father like we expect our children to obey us. Radically and immediately. No questions asked. That is the truest expression of love and trust in the plan your Father has for you.
When we obey God, we demonstrate our faith in him, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him” (1 John 2:3-6).
Bible Verse: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
Something to think about: Can you think of a time you were immediately obedient to a call God had for you? How did it feel to obey?
Prayer: Father, give me radical obedience to you and your plan for my life. Help me to show my love for you by committing to saying “yes” to you and what you ask of me. Give me patience with my children when they don’t radically obey and help me to remember I am a rebellious and curious child as well.
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