Trusting the Path of Obedience

Trusting the path of Obedience

I think the word obedience has such a stigma surrounding it.

What was once supposed to be a beautiful picture of following guidance for protection is now an idea of being taken advantage of for the gain of someone else.

Please hear me out: although obedience can lead down a path of pain, it was never meant to be that way. 

Truth is, we are broken beings that have taken what was once good and just, and twisted it into an idea that one should never be obedient because of what it appears to be. However, to walk in obedience with righteousness is way more freeing than what we are told by society. 

Walk with me, here.

We are told, as women, we 'need to stick to our own truth'. If we are to obey our husbands, we are creating grounds to their advantage. However, if we want to really take care of ourselves, we should live by our own standard.

As men, you are told to take ownership of those around you, declaring yourself as the Alpha, and the only obedience that should be in your life is that of others serving you. 

Neither of these scripts are true, or freeing. They appear to bring freedom and clout to your life, but in the end it does nothing but bring hardship, disappointment, and isolation.

At the start of 2019, God gave the word “obedience” for me to faithfully work out for that entire year. I thought it was really odd, but I went with it. It didn’t take long to understand the why of this word.

To obey wasn’t a form of punishment, but a command for the sake of my protection, His glory, and the good for my life.

I wasn’t faithful then in the idea of stewardship.

Charles Bugg defines “stewardship” in the Holman Bible Dictionary as "utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation."

I noticed that I wasn’t stewarding my time, finances, or marriage well. I didn’t know that I needed to understand how obedience and stewardship created a beautiful marriage (and everything else in my life) in the name of glorifying God. Thankfully, His grace in the seasons leading up to 2019 was found in my husband. Even though I didn’t steward his heart well, he remained faithful and obedient in everything else for us. Where I failed, he made up for it. Seriously, thank you Lord for this man!

I gradually leaned more into God’s presence and His word, trying to rewire my brain in what I was taught in the area of obedience. To obey wasn’t a form of punishment, but a command for the sake of my protection, His glory, and the good for my life.

It was a verb: a way for me to live out my love for God. If I truly loved Him, then wouldn’t I want to do what He asks of me?Think back (if you’re married) to the first year of being a newlywed:

You are so in love with your new spouse that you are willing to do pretty much anything to make them happy. 

The same longing should go for our Creator. His love far surpasses the love we feel for our spouse and children.

As I grow to learn more about His character and love for me, my love for Him grows. Naturally, wouldn't my act of obedience grow?

It should.

John 14:15 ESV says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Keeping the commandments (love God and love people being the first two given) is an act of obedience.

Jesus acted out the ultimate act of obedience at the Cross:

“And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” -Philippians 2:8 ESV

Could you imagine if Jesus wasn’t obedient to His calling? He was faithful… perfect… and that is just an understatement of who He is and what He did for us.

As I began to walk in obedience by being a good steward of our finances, our marriage, and my time with God, I saw good fruit come out of it. Obedience wasn’t a bondservant like I thought it would be. It was the open door to seeing a loving, flourishing marriage. It led the way to financial freedom and hope for the future. It traded an angry, anxious-driven mom to one of grace and humility.

Friend, today you can experience the same good fruit for your life when you walk faithfully in obedience. Whether that’s in your finances, marriage, career, and/or hobby - being obedient in the calling He has on your life and the steps laid out for you to take can reap good fruit, even if you don’t get the opportunity to see it. Even when the next step seems hazy and you’re not sure where to go, practice obedience in seeking the Father out daily to reveal what’s next for you.

James 1:5 ESV says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Ask God today for wisdom, so that you may know how to walk faithfully in obedience, without the stigma surrounding the idea of it.