What Parenting Taught Me About Obedience to God
A Toddler Temper Tantrum
The other day I was wrangling my three-year-old again and honestly, if there was a sport for this kind of thing, I’d be a pro for the sheer amount of times I have to do it each day.
I see a lot of myself in Roman—strong-willed, determined, a fighter. And as much as I love to see those traits in him (because I know their value), right now, I can’t say they’re my favorite. Because it makes parenting really, really hard!
As I was holding boundaries and engaging in discipline with Ro, I found these words coming out of my mouth:
“Ro, there is so much freedom in obedience. If you will just listen and obey mommy, you will have more time for fun. It actually makes everything easier and better!”
And then immediately I felt the Lord poke my little heart, as the Father reminding His daughter of the exact same thing.
Freedom in Obedience
How many times have I pushed back, fought, run the other way, covered my ears, and so on to get my own way? How often have I rebelled against God’s authority and design for my own selfish desires? I’ve sought my will over His own and disobeyed against His clear commands. I have been just as fiery and stubborn towards God as Roman was in the midst of his temper tantrum.
Friends, we rebel against God when we seek our own way. When we push back on His commands and desire for our lives. But how many of us know that when we’ve surrendered to Him and walked in obedience, we have found freedom and joy.
Doers of the Word
We see this play out in James 1 as the author talks about being doers of the Word. We see just how important it is that we put into practice what we hear.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
The theologian Warren Wiersbe commented this regarding these verses,
It is not enough to hear the Word; we must do it. Many people have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or Bible study is what makes them grow and get God’s blessing. It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only kidding yourself.
We must take what God says and actually do it. That’s what obedience is—it’s listening to God and doing what He says. But that takes us to another thought: we must be in the Word.
Dear reader, obedience is so necessary for a flourishing life. As with Roman, if he would listen to me as I instruct him towards goodness, there would be a heck of a lot fewer tears and time wasted in discipline. It’s the same with us. And to walk in obedience requires:
Be in the Word.
Do what God says.
Wrangling my toddler the other day taught me a beautiful lesson I’ve long fought—to surrender my control and will for His. Because in reality, it’s in the surrender we find fullness of life. Live this way and in the obedience, you will find freed and blessing!
I’m reminded of Psalm 81 and I want to leave you with these words,
“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever. But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”