“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord you God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 28: 1-2
As we read in Deuteronomy, God rewards obedience and He punishes disobedience. If you have walked with God for a while, those concepts are probably not new. How do you practice obedience when you really do not want to?
I want to share a true story from my own life experience. I personally learned: 1) obedience to God should supersede my feelings, 2) God does truly reward obedience, and 3) God really has a sense of humor!
Over six years ago, my husband, John, decided we as a couple would finally take the European vacation we had always dreamed of. At the time he was working a job which dictated he travel every week Monday through Thursday, sometimes Friday. Weekends were often days for him to catch up on some very much-needed sleep!
I was a full-time, homeschooling mom of two little girls. In short, our lives were worlds apart.
So we planned a nice vacation to reconnect. On our second night in Europe, we took an overnight train from Paris to Rome. Sounds ultra romantic, doesn’t it? Well, it was probably not what you are imagining; it was certainly not what we had pictured! With frequent mail stops and other train issues, we slept very little that night!
Arriving in Rome, we decided to avoid the very long taxi que and take the subway. Now, neither of us had ever been to Rome before, and did I mention I am in a dress and high heels, AND it’s 86 degrees with very high humidity?
“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” John assured me.
Wheeling our luggage, John made it through the subway turnstile. After three attempts with three different tickets, a kind Italian policeman took pity on this lady and I finally joined my husband.
We found our street and began ascending up a hill. There was construction on the cobblestone street we needed to take. In Rome, safety precautions do not appear as stringent as in the U.S., and I carefully wheeled my suitcase over the 2×4’s as I purposefully placed my feet as far away as possible from the operating circular saws.
Arriving in front of a hotel, John seemed uncertain. “Why don’t you wait here and I’ll check us in?” Certainly! By this point I was hot and sweaty and wanted to go directly to a shower.
Fifteen minutes later, John reappeared. Smiling rather sheepishly, he told me, “I have both good and bad news.”
Trying to look at him respectfully, I hoped the irritation was not written on my face.
“This is not our hotel,” he said, but hastened to add, “But the good news is, ours’ is up the street!”
“Where, pray tell?”
“Up there,” he nodded his head toward the top of the hill, a nice fifteen minute walk if we were not slowed by the construction. My word, the entire street was being rebuilt!
John graciously traded me my suitcase for his carry-on and we began picking our way through the construction planks.
By the time we reached the pinnacle, we were both red-faced and sweaty. While waiting for the light to change to cross the street to our hotel, three large chartered buses arrived, parking in the street, blocking our passage. We would later learn those passengers were both staying in our hotel and had indeed beat us to the check-in!
A long while later, we finally landed in our room. Feeling physically and emotionally exhausted from the lack of sleep, I sank onto the bed, not at all thrilled to be there.
John, the forever Joker, snatched the camera and aimed it at me. I smiled ever so sweetly externally, but internally, I was seething!
After a short shower and some quick prayer, I tried to remember what I had hoped to gain from this trip: a reconnection with my husband.
Wives are told in Ephesians 5:22 to be submissive to their husbands. I was trying to define what that should look like for me. During the week I was the only one around to make decisions. I had no family in-state and I needed to be independent. That is when I first really began depending on God for the day-to-day stuff.
But I also realized the Biblical view of marriage: the husband is the head of the house. (Ephesians 5:22) Smart men (like John!) ask their wives opinions and lay decisions before God.
Today, I honestly trust my husband to make decisions for our family. Back then, I was learning. I was also learning that just because I am physically or emotionally exhausted, frustrated over foreign transportation (or construction!) Jesus obviously does not desire I release my attitude upon my unsuspecting husband!
As John aimed the camera at me, I mentally recited ‘You need to be respectful to your husband’. And although I did not feel like smiling, I did.
And you know what? That rascal printed that photo, framed it, and carried it in his suitcase on every business trip.
He also put up two copies on this photo in his office at work. People remark about his having the same photo of me, and he smiles, eager to tell the story.
When I needed a photo for this blog, John suggested the one from Rome, the one you see on this site.
After our trip, he commented on how agreeable I had been throughout our six days of endlessly hilarious and frustrating scenarios. We knew even then we would one day look back and laugh. But I knew I had also learned a valuable lesson.
I still do not always respond perfectly, but I have learned to truly watch myself, and I know Christ will continue to help me and teach me.
Reflections:
In preparation for the exploration of obedience, please consider the following, one per day, this week:
1) How do I define obedience? How does the dictionary define obedience? How does God define obedience? (See Deuteronomy 28 in its’ entirety.)
2)Think about a time you disobeyed someone, your parents, your boss, the state speed limit. What were the physical and spiritual consequences?
3)How do you feel when someone in your charge disobeys you?
4)How do you feel when you realize you have disobeyed God? How can you restore yourself?
5)How seriously have I taken obedience to laws, both earthly and spiritually?
Thanks for reading! Please return by next Monday, Febraury 18, for the next post! As always, I love to read your thoughts, ideas, and comments!
When I first started reading your blog, I wondered about the picture! I thought it was a nice picture but, I knew there had to be a story. So glad you have revealed it!!