Obedience

Obedience.

It’s a new word for me. Not only have I experienced the discipline of it lately, I’ve realized there’s a lot more behind this little word than most people think.

In regards to God’s call, obedience has often meant doing something that one might not normally do outside of instruction from God. In circles of the Christian church, obedience is usually associated with a huge and often life-changing decision. It’s a new job or a new lifestyle or a new continent of residence. Obedience means that God has put an idea on your heart and you have acted upon it out of respect for Him, in faith that He will work it into His divine plan. When I’ve thought of obeying God, it has been within this equation:

God calls me to something + I obey = smooth sailing in my life.

One thing I have learned since my recent “bout of obedience” is this:

Obedience isn’t safe.

Now I don’t mean this to say that we will not ultimately be under God’s holy protection if we obey what He asks of us; we will. We are not, though, guaranteed a smooth life in return for our obedience. We will be rewarded, yes. We will, in the end, be grateful that we obeyed. Yet obedience is not “safe”.

Being obedient is the most vulnerable move you can make.

You see, obedience is the place where God shapes us. Obedience takes our faith and puts it into action. Obedience is built on trust. And because of such trust, obedience demands vulnerability.

Risky business, eh?