The Story Being Written

I don’t know about you, but there seems to be a lot of mental and emotional underpinnings that come along with any mention of the word “obedience.”  Now granted, I’ve tried to develop self-disciplines and an intent to lean in, to walk on a good path, to make wise choices, and to determine what practices and values I want to shape my life.  It works pretty well a good bit of the time, especially when obedience is just being discussed or when the request is convenient or in an area that is one of the easier or more “natural for me” kinds.  But when the request has slid into another column that is harder or requires an out-of-the-way effort, I often find myself back to square one.  There the wrestling match begins again.

Does obedience quickly bring to mind for you also an assumption that what has been asked of you will have a loss written somewhere in the fine print if you agree to the contract?

Last evening in the middle of a conversation with a young man who was sharing a bit about some recent struggles and joys, a thought flashed through my mind…

Isn’t obedience actually a quick responsiveness to God?  The desire to take hold of His best plans, in His best timing, even when I don’t understand, even when I had something else in mind, even when I’d rather be doing something, anything else besides what He’s just suggested? 

Isn’t obedience a gold beribboned opportunity brought right to me, with the possibilities of seeing a miracle unfold because I’d been willing to bring my meager lunch of a couple of fish and a few small loaves that I’d planned to scarf down alone to nourish me for my afternoon?  And wouldn’t I actually be able to view it that way if my trust in Him was more secure because I’d already determined in the previous days to commit to doing life with Him in the driver’s seat?  It’s easier when I’ve practiced traveling with Him and have a journal full of the adventures we’ve shared, stickers of remembrance pasted all over the suitcases.   There’s been music and dance at those campsites in out-of-the-way destinations.

Obedience is the ticket to the next adventure.  Whatever your story has been, try starting on a fresh page of a new book, and begin to fill it with what He does as you say yes.  Just be prepared that sometimes it will look bleak, sometimes the fruit will look bruised, and sometimes you will feel like you’ve totally missed the mark.  But on some day down the road, He will pull you up close, take out the book He’s written of your life, and will read you the story from His point of view.  It will include a million things that unfolded that your earthly eyes never saw, and He will be smiling as He remembers those days.