Painting Obedience

“Obedience is what demonstrates our knowledge and love of God”, said the good man in the pulpit.   We’re studying in I John.  “He who says He knows Him but doesn’t obey Him is lying”.  “Ignoring, dismissing a need for obedience in our life makes thinking we are a Christian an illusion—Jesus says, “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, but only those who do the will of my father, will enter the kingdom of heaven.””  Also 1John 5:2-3, although he’s not there yet in the preaching: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.”

I’m thinking back on what’s learned in the earliest years.  Habits of the heart, channels of learned childish confidence in what is acceptable and permissible.  We, as parents, form those habits, those channels, in our children’s consciousness, conscience, every day.  They’ll believe us; whatever we approve either implicitly or explicitly will be what they accept as living a life of obedience.  We are writing the definition, we are painting the picture, we are showing the snapshot of reality.  Is our definition of obedience true? 

Does our painting of obedience include first time, cheerfully given, immediate, and complete?  Or is their reality being imprinted on their minds forged by their determining – even if ever so slightly – the boundaries of obedience for themselves?  A slight delay—a lapse of memory—a roll of the eyes or stiffening of the neck almost imperceptibly, but artfully rendered?  A completing of the task according to their specifications rather than yours but you think it’s, well, good enough for now and besides the brain damage required to gain that extra 5% obedience is really too much for right this minute.  And they learn that full obedience is dependent on their alterations, additions, omissions. They’ve learned they can write their own definition. The most adroit ones turn it into a laughing moment for everyone and you only realize later you’ve been snookered into accepting less than obedience, even if it was rendered in a British accent.

What if we realized the truth – that we are laying their seedbed for the habits and the channels of simple submission in which they will approach God with a sacrifice of obedience from a true heart, or of an “acceptable variance” --something radically different from obedience which is the only definition they’ve ever learned.  They are organically learning the deepest heart responses to be transferred from us as parents directly to responses to God as they come of age.

“Our error is to think that by our own strength we can obey Him; for even our righteous acts are filthy rags”, the man in the pulpit continued.  Or the other ditch “is that we don’t have to worry at all, it’s all about Christ”; and we can sit back, relax, no worries, mate.

What if we painted an accurate picture of their position before Christ as sinful and in need of the power of His cross and resurrection: dependent on Him for daily bread, as it were?  Getting their definitions right, seeing the painting, imbibing the reality of biblical obedience, won’t save them.  A dog can learn great tricks.  But perhaps, maybe, it will make their reflexive daily moments a little easier to recognize truth instead of error, real obedience instead of the counterfeit, and act on it in a heartbeat.  Easier for us to walk in obedience when life gets adult-hard.  For the rest of 1John 5:3 reads “and His commandments are not burdensome.”