Obedience, Oswald and Other Occurrances

Life here has been anything but boring as of late, which would lend itself to my infrequent posting.  There is a two year old girl in my home who demands equal or better share of almost any attention and an almost five year old boy who has a will stronger than even I myself could ever have possessed.  (And mother don't you dare beg to differ because we both know it's true.) 

Training them has taken all new twists and turns.  The same style of discipline clearly is not effective on both of them, although they both are just as bullheaded.  She learns things in a completely different way than he does.  She accepts rational explanation and reasoning over responding to punishment.  A threat of punishment just brings out a bottom lip and a pouty tantrum occasionally accompanied with a terrible-twos style shout of "No!".  She would accept a million spankings as long as she still gets to wear her choice of sandals.  Now should I take the time to explain to her "Vivi, it's snowing and cold outside, if you were sandals your toes will freeze." then she'll simply reply "Oh, it's snowing outside?  Me wear boots!"

And then there is her brother.  He thinks he is right about everything, and if I'd only look away for two minutes he's sure that he could prove he wouldn't slice himself with that butcher's knife.  He only accepts things for what has been proven to him, not trusting my words or my judgement in the least.  Rational explanation would only be an invitation for him to debate me on it, in his view.  If I want him to do something, I have to demand it relying upon authority not reason. He'll obey most of the time but he'll do so with a disrespectful glance and angry body language, making it clear that he is submitting only because he feels I'm imposing it upon him and the threat of punishment is looming. 

While we're starting to figure out what works best with each of them, my last conversation with this highly intelligent boy of mine triggered some evaluation of my own.  I was calmly explaning to him that I do not exert my authority over him just to thwart his plans or ruin his adventures.  I tried to tell him that I'd prefer never to raise my voice and that if he would obey me when I first asked him quietly to do something then he'd never hear that I-mean-business-so-do-as-I-say voice that I've inherited from my father.  I know that he understands this concept but I also know that his selfish little being is too human to not be thinking to himself "But if I do what she wants then I'll never get to do what I want!".  It's a ridiculous thought because I want him to enjoy so much of his life and be able to have much of what he wants.  I just ask that he let me guide him and follow my basic rules that truly do have his wellbeing in mind.  He does not see this though.

And herein lies the problem.  We as humans (and when I say we, I'm basically referring to me but assuming I'm not the only one) have a hard time yielding to the authority of God because let's face it we're a little afraid that if we always do what HE wants then we won't ever get what WE want.  It's even more ridiculous than Aidan's self-serving philosophy because while I am human and apt to take advantage of authority or make mistakes from time to time, our loving God will not.  He will not only take better care of us than we ourselves could ever substitute for, but he will also break the chains that hold us to our selfish ways.

Which brings me back to my Oswald Chambers devotional today, which of course was on obedience.  Oswald referenced   "His servants ye are to whom ye obey." Romans 6:16  We are servants to ourselves when we obey ourselves and not the Lord.  Therefore if we are not serving him... well what are we doing? 

Oswald brings up some good points that make perfect sense.  He talks about the fact that if you yield to something, anything at all, as a person then it will have control over you and you as a human will not be able to break that chain.  It could be a serious addiction to drugs or the like.  Or it could be something as simple as not being able to resist that temptation that sits in your freezer in the form of Heavenly Hash Ice Cream.

If I seriously struggle with resisting that something, whatever it is, then there is a chain there that as a human I cannot break.  And that is proof, proof of who I am serving.  Because I am yielding to my selfish human temptations I am not yielding to God.  I am obeying my own rules, therefore I'm obviously not obeying God.

A person cannot serve two masters.

Which brings me to dear Oswald's point.  I've yielded to something human, something of myself therefore I cannot break free even if I try to tell myself otherwise.  He says:  You find this out in the most ridiculously small ways - "Oh, I can give that habit up when I like." You cannot, you will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you yielded to it willingly. It is easy to sing - "He will break every fetter" and at the same time be living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. Yielding to Jesus will break every form of slavery in any human life.

And there is the answer to the puzzle of obedience.  Yielding to myself will give momentary satisfaction and long term slavery to myself.  Yielding to God will give freedom from all slavery.  I will still experience satisfaction, He will bless me greatly and will be pleased with my obedience.  I will be obeying a master who is wise and perfect, rather than a mistress who is human and very imperfect.  While I will still have struggles, temptations and problems, I can be sure that if I'm being obedient to my Lord then he will carry me through those struggles and I will not be enslaved by them.

I know how God must feel as a father.  How bullheaded we must appear when he looks within us and sees what I can see in Aidan... the lack of trust that a parent is worthy of being obeyed and submitted to.  I obey the obvious stuff... the obviously written rules and follow His lead.  Let's face it, I know that I'm not really in control so I have to.  Just as Aidan knows he's not in control so he has to obey me.  But the true submission comes in spirit.  It comes when you yield your spirit to your Father, and he breaks you free from the chains that held you somewhere that you didn't even realize was that bad of a place until you were freed.

Aidan will come around I'm sure.  Man, that boy is stubborn.  Wonder where he gets it from... but I don't wonder what I can do to be a better example because I already know.

As an aside, don't forget that there's another recipe carnival being posted Tuesday on our recipe blog... we'd be happy to have you submit a recipe and the deadline isn't until 5pm Monday!