Mommy Lesson 30 - Obedience with Reckless Abandon

Obedience is a big deal in our house and most of the time my kids are really good at obeying us. Daddy Reg and I believe that if we train them how to obey then they will know how when they need to. Just like if you train for what to do during a fire, then if you are in a fire you know what to do. And if they can obey us, then it will be easier for them to obey other authority figures in life. One thing we do to train them is periodically tell them to do random tasks that do not have anything to do with what is going on at the moment. Their job is to do what was asked no matter how irrelevant without question.
As I have trained my kids throughout the years, God has been faithful to show me how He trains me in the same way. He wants me to obey with reckless abandon even the craziest of commands. There are so many examples in the Bible about obedience with reckless abandon just like God wants us to obey.
God told the Israelites to not worry about food while in the dessert because He would rain food from heaven. Think about that one from their perspective. Really, food falling out of the sky? Those who did as they were told, did not go hungry, but it really is a crazy thought
Noah was told to build a giant boat that was bigger than anything anyone had ever built and he built it. I am sure Noah was a tad confused about the boat’s purpose as it took him forever to build but he still built it in the midst of all the mockery.
Abraham was told to take his son up a mountain and sacrifice him. Abraham’s reckless abandon to God is not lost on me. God’s command seems so crazy insane and yet Abraham did it without question knowing that God knew what he was doing. Abraham was blessed beyond measure out of his obedience.
Joshua was told to walk in circles around a city and then blow trumpets and the walls would fall down and they would conquer the city. Joshua obeyed with reckless abandon and the walls came falling down and they took the city.
One of my favorite examples is when Jesus spit in some dirt, put the mud he made in the blind guy’s eyes and told him to go wash it off at a certain pool. The guy went to the pool Jesus told him to go to and washed it out there. He didn’t immediately wipe his face like most people would. He obeyed without question and because of his obedience, he got his sight.
Obedience with reckless abandon, no questions asked, is a big deal in the Bible. God wants us to have that kind of reckless abandon. God is constantly showing me how to obey just by trusting Him. Obedience takes trust, it really does. It also takes faith, which is very similar to trust - but not the same thing. Obedience is not on the condition of knowing why, it is to be on the condition of trusting that God (or the person in authority) knows what He is doing.

I am learning a lesson in obedience. I know I have just scratched the very top layer of the surface on obedience. The Bible is so full of examples. The greatest example of all, Christ was obedient to the cross. If he didn't obey, I would be facing certain eternal death and so would every person who has ever walked the face of this earth.

Disclaimer: This post is inspired by a post I wrote in 2007 but is really relevant to me today too.

Mommy Lesson 26 - Love and Obedience

When I was a little girl there was a song on my favorite album The Music Machine called Love. Part of the lyrics say, "Love makes people do the things they know they ought to do. Love is doing things for you and me" I was thinking about that song this week. When I need the kids to be obedient even though they would rather do something different, I still expect obedience. But I want them to obey out of love not out of fear of getting in trouble.

When you look at the heroes in the Bible, you see great obedience. What I notice is that all of them obey out of their love for God and their knowledge of how much God loves them more than out of fear. Sure they all knew that God is great and can send lightening bolts out of the sky or cause a whale to swallow you, but it is evident that they obeyed out of love. That's what I pray for my kids, that they are obedient out of love not out of fear.

I know that the more I cultivate that relationship with them and strengthen those bonds the more chances I have that they will be obedient out of love. I'm not saying they will be perfect or always be obedient and make the wise choices but I do believe that they will more likely make the smart choices because that is a way to show love.

Obedience Like Abraham & Isaac

I was recently reading Genesis 22 where God tested Abraham. As a child I remember being taught this story in Sunday School. The teacher always had a flannel board with the little pictures of Abraham (who looked very old) and Isaac (who looked like he might be 8 or 10) and there is a stone alter with a ram stuck in a thorny bush. I never really got anything deep out of it but that Abraham loved God so much he was willing to sacrifice his son. Well, I guess that is deep but I knew there was much more. So, while I was reading the story this time, I asked God to show me more. God revealed so much to me I wanted to share a bit.
Abraham was old, very old at this time. Isaac was not a young boy but probably in his 20’s and I would imagine well built, not scrawny or puny, as it was a lot of work to live back then.
Abraham went to Mt Moirah the very next morning. I wonder what he thought that night laying in bed. It doesn’t say that he told Sarah what God had told him to do. How did he hide that, was he troubled at all? As a mom, I know that I would not be sleeping that night. The trip took three days. This took continual obedience and trust. I wonder what the conversation was like on that journey.
When the time came for Isaac to be bound, he had to be willing to let his father tie him up. Isaac, I am sure, was capable of fighting his father off and running away. He didn’t run, he let his father tie him up and lay him on the alter to be slain. That is absolute obedience of a son to his father! That is the obedience and trust that gets overlooked. You see God had promised Abraham that his descendants would come from Isaac's offspring in chapter 21. Abraham knew that God was going to keep his promise somehow. Isaac may have known that promise or may not have, I don’t know. What I do know is that Isaac was absolutely obedient to his father to let him be bound up and to just lay there waiting for Abraham to do what needed to be done. I am sure that Isaac was beyond relieved when the ram appeared to take his place.
As I was thinking about and pondering this, I realized that this is the kind of obedience I am trying to teach my children. I expect absolute unquestioning obedience the first time something is told them. I know that they are not perfect and won’t be able to obey me all the time just like I am sure to not obey God all the time. However, for them to have a heart of obedience like Abraham and Isaac is something I strive for. I have the kids come to me randomly for no reason and I have them put there shoes on without them going anywhere, just to teach them to obey without question. My main reason has been for safety issues. If I tell them to stop or duck or run to keep them from harm I don’t want them to ask why, I just want them to do it. Now, I have an even more important reason. If they have an obedient heart, then when God tells them to do something that seems crazy, they won’t question it, they will just do it.

Examples of Reckless Abandon

To be recklessly abandoned for Christ is to be completely surrendered to Christ without restraint, inhibitions, or moderation and to be completely unconcerned and at total peace about the consequences of what could happen.

I have been really asking God to show me more about reckless abandon. I really want to become more abandoned to Him every day. As I have been praying, God has brought more examples to my mind.

Ruth had reckless abandon. She knew she had to stay with Naomi and she did not care what the consequences were she was going to stay. If she did not stay then she would not have been able to complete her role in the coming of Christ. Ruth was David’s great grandmother. She left all that she knew including her religion to go to a land and people she had nothing in common. They were poor and had no food, yet Ruth stayed with Naomi. I know why she has been likened to the Proverbs 31 woman. She was a woman of noble character who had reckless abandon.

Esther had reckless abandon too. She obeyed Mordecai (he had reckless abandon too) about not revealing that she was a Jew to King Xerxes until she had to in order to save her people. She risked death to see the king without being summoned and she had not been summoned for over a month, it was as if he had lost interest in her. Nevertheless, she went to the king prayerfully and humbly in faith that he would extend his scepter to her and allows her to live. Because she did this, her people (God’s people) were saved.

Hosea had reckless abandon. God told him to marry a prostitute! He did, his life was miserable, she cheated on him, and he remained faithful and forgave her when God told him too. He reconciled with her. This example just shows you that God did not promise happiness when we follow his commands. God used Hosea to prophesy to Israel when Israel was not being faithful to God.

Reckless Abandon
Doing what God tells you to do regardless of the consequence or how hard it will be.

Ruth 1:16-17
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Esther 4:16
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Hosea 1:2-3
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.

More Thoughts About Reckless Abandon

Reckless abandon means absolute obedience without question. Noah obeyed God and built a huge ark - cruise line ship for animals. Imagine the years of ridicule that he endured as he built this thing. (I wonder if that was the first boat ever built. Or, did they build little canoe boats before that? hmmm) Shadrach Meshach and Abednego had reckless abandon and were thrown into a fiery pit that was so hot the guards that tossed them in were burned alive. Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions because of his reckless abandon.

Absolute obedience can incur some very grave consequences but through it all God was with them and saved them. God’s greater plan is so much bigger than we could ever fathom. As I think more about this reckless abandon and my responsibility to teach it to my kids I realize that I am teaching them that they have to trust that God knows what He is doing in the midst of the situation and that I could be teaching them to obey even though faced with death. Can I do that?

As a mom we are to protect our children it is instinct so can I have reckless abandon and teach my kids that they might have to actually die or be tortured or loose their job or whatever fire they must go through for Christ. However, Christ promises through it all no matter the cost, that He will be there in the fire with us.

Gen 6:9

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Gen 6:22

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Dan 3:17 & 18

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Dan 3:25

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Rev 3:15 & 16

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Baby Cuteness

This morning I was rewarded for all the hours of training Baby G I have put in so far. I am nowhere close to being done training her but this morning I saw wonderful progress. Babies are so good at finding little things that we seem to not realize are there. This morning was no exception. She found a little something - I still do not know what it was - hard on the coffee table. That I of course did not notice even though it was the only thing on the coffee table. As expected the first thing she was going to do was put it in her mouth. She looked at me, I gave her a firm look while shaking my head no, and she put it down. YEAH! She is learning what I have been teaching her! I was starting to get discouraged with training her and then she surprised me with obedience.

A few other cute things she did today.

Tried to wipe my nose after I wiped hers.

Tried to feed me her French toast.

Picked up a piece of fuzz off the floor and gave it right to me.

Smiled sweetly.

First Steps!

Baby G took her first steps today! She just forgot to hold onto the table while she was moving toward a chair that was a bit further away than normal. I don't think she even realized what she was doing but it was still two very firm and steady steps. I know it is just a matter of time before she will be running around on her own. I love watching her as she discovers new things she can do. She has figured out how to pull herself up onto our futon and she already figured out how to plow through obstacles that are in her way. I know that I have my hands full with her. Training her has proved to be more challenging than with my other three. However, I am very much up to the challenge. I have to be, I am Mommy, and it is my job to make sure that she is trained up to be the women God has created her to become.

My prayer daily is that God will give the wisdom I need to face whatever challenging behavior she displays. The Word says that we are all born with a sinful nature and until you have little ones, you can find it herd to fathom that something as innocent as a little baby could possibly be born with a sinful nature. But, Gianina more than my other munchkins is showing me that yes event he youngest of babies is already sinful. She was throwing tantrums by 6 months! She has yet to get her way with a tantrum but she will still try sometimes to throw herself on the floor and see if it will get her what she wants. Her actions are always met with correction and I know that with consistency, she will learn. She also knows how to test "No." She does daily. She will touch something once more just to see if I was serious. And of course I am serious so, correction again. Again, I am reminded of how sinful we really are. The others also have their not so shining moments where I am reminded of our sin. As a mommy, I am always looking for the answer to the next attitude problem, wondering if I really am cut out to do this job. But then I go to my favorite parenting manual the Bible and search desperately for the answer. I also go to No Greater Joy and search for answers there. They have an abundance of information that is all pulled from God’s Word. Still there are those moments when I wonder - do I really know what I am doing? The answer is no I don’t but God does. Thankfully because I am sure my work is cut out for me once Baby G figures out how to take more than just two steps.

Proverbs 20:11
“Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”

Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:15
“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

Proverbs 23:12
“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”

Mommyhood - Lessons in Training

Have you ever prayed for patience? I have several times and take my advice unless you are really serious about wanting to be more patient and willing to allow God to expand your patience through various experiences, don't pray for patience. However, if you know what your are getting into and are ready for the training time, go for it.

So let me explain. I have prayed for patience on many occasions and every time I have, God is always faithful to give me ample training opportunities to increase my patience. Be it with every light being red while I am driving, or every child wanting me right now and then there are the days when every activity is actually a disaster waiting to happen. If I pray for more faith, God doesn't just increase my faith but allows me to go through an experience (or more) that causes me to need more faith than I thought I had. Same with anything else I have ever prayed for, I don't just receive it, I learn it. Lately God has been teaching me patience through the baby. She is very determined to do things her way and I am learning to be patient and persistent in teaching her to do things, well, mine. I am also learning trust. God is teaching me in so many ways how to just trust that He has everything taken care of already, no matter what the circumstance looks like from my lowly perspective. He is the Great I AM. And is capable of so much more than my mind can fathom.

I want my kids to have obedience, I have to give my kids opportunities to obey in order for them to become more obedient. When they are not obedient, they receive discipline and correction so that next time they will remember to obey. I am training Baby G to stay on a blanket on the floor when I put her on it. The benefits of this training is that I can go anywhere and put down a little receiving blanket and she will know that if I put her there, she is to stay and be content. We practice at home so that she will learn that there are times when she needs to stay. This week I realized that God sets up training sessions much in the same way I set up training sessions with my kids. I am training my kids to be productive, respectful little people who will grow up into productive, respectful adults. Just as God is training me in every aspect of my spiritual life. If I didn't train my kids, then they would be very unruly and if God didn't train me, then I would never grow closer to Him and I would not be happy. A well trained child is a happy child I believe. I have more joy the more I walk with Jesus and the closer I grow to the Lord.

As I travel through these adventures in mommyhood I am seeing so much more how the Lord loves us and is raising us up spiritually. I ask the Lord to open my eyes to what he is trying to teach me so I can be more aware of Him throughout my day. Sometimes I pay more attention than others but my prayer is that I will constantly see the evidence of Him in everything, even while I am doing the dishes.

Proverbs 16:20 (NIV)

"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD."

Ephesians 6:1-4 (NIV)

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise— 'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.' Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Philippians 2:12-15 (NIV)

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"

Mommyhood - A Lesson in Obedience

My kids are really good at obeying. (Not bragging, just saying) As parents, Mario and I feel it is very important to teach them obedience by training them how to obey. If they can obey us then it will be easier for them to obey God. Not to mention make their childhoods a lot more pleasant. We will periodically tell them to do random tasks that really do not pertain to anything we are doing just to train them to obey without question. God tells us to do things all the time that never make sense at the beginning but when the situation at hand is part of our life story, we can look back at that chapter and understand why we were told to do whatever it was. I want my kids to have that kind of obedience. And in the world today, it is important that they obey without question so they will stay safe.

When I am training my kids, God is faithful to show me how he trains me in the same way. He wants me to obey even the most strange, or illogical commands without question, for my own good. He has plans for me to prosper and if I do not obey, how can he set those plans into motion? The Israelites did not obey without serious protest and God became angry with them several times. He kept asking them why they wouldn't obey his commands. They walked around the desert for 40 years while God had to teach them how to obey him.

- My children, do not worry about food, I will feed you heavenly food every day. Do not gather more than you need today, for tomorrow I will feed you again. Except for the day before the Sabbath, gather enough for 2 days, which is the only time this food will not spoil on the next day. The ones that obeyed had no problem. The ones that didn't went hungry and I am sure complained about it.

-Noah, build a giant boat I am going to flood the earth. Noah probably asked God what a flood was. But Noah did this, at that time, very bizarre task, even thought it most likely didn't make any sense to him. Very simply, Noah obeyed.


-Abraham, take your son up to this mountain and kill him as an offering to me. Now that command took serious trust in God, to know that God knew what he was doing. Abraham obeyed. God blessed him beyond measure because he obeyed.

-Joshua, you will take this city by walking around in circles. No weapons will be needed you do not need to charge the city gates. Just walk around in circles and then blow your trumpets. Joshua, amazingly, obeyed. And the walls came tumbling down, because Joshua obeyed.

-Jesus spit in some dirt, put the mud he made on a guy's eyes and told him to go wash it off at this one specific pool. Now this to a normal person makes no sense but the guy did not wipe off the mud right away, he went to the exact pool as he was told and washed it off there. He got to see for the first time ever in his life because he obeyed.

My obedience is nowhere near that I don't think. But lately God is showing me how to obey just by trust. Thinking about it with a worldly mind makes me look nuts. Our job and our home at this point have no security, we are managing an apartment complex that is being sold, and another management company will be managing it. But I have been realizing that I never put my trust in my job or my home so that never really got me worried. What did, was knowing that I have a responsibility to my children. I am not just throwing caution to the wind for myself but my kids too. However, I am trusting in God. I know that he already has in place our next step. We just have to obey him and trust that he knows what he is doing.

Obedience takes trust, it really does. It also takes faith, which is very similar to trust - but not the same thing. Me trusting in the Lord and obeying him is yet another way I can train my kids to obey without question. This is the best lesson as it is by example. Now, I don't ask them to lift up their staff so the sea can be parted or to fill several jars with oil that seems to be coming out of nowhere because you know there wasn't that much in the first jar to begin with. I am just telling them to put their shoes on even though we aren't going anywhere. Go brush their hair even though they already did. Put this object over there for no apparent reason. Or to just do something that needs to be done without them asking "Why?" Now, here is a question. Why is it common now to have to explain every reason to a child? Children do not need to always know why; they just need to obey, "Because I said so." Noah, Abraham, the blind guy I am sure did not ask why and I know that God did not explain it to them before they obeyed.

Obedience is not on the condition of knowing why, it is to be on the condition of trusting that God (or the person in authority) knows what he is doing.

Jonah did not obey. God had to discipline him by allowing a giant fish to swallow him (yuck that is just gross!) and throwing him up on the beach (like I said-yuck) so Jonah could have a second chance at obedience. At my house, that happens. But not as gross, just an effective means of discipline to allow the kids to rethink the whole obedience thing and try again. Jonah learned his lesson. But of course, who would want to be swallowed twice. My kids usually learn their lesson the first time, but then again I don't have them swallowed by a fish.

I am learning a lesson in obedience. I know I have just scratched the very top layer of the surface on obedience. The Bible is so full of examples. The greatest example of all, Christ was obedient to the cross. If he didn't obey, I would be facing certain eternal death and so would every person who has ever walked the face of this earth.

"I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." Genesis 22:17&18

"Although he was a son he learned obedience from what he suffered and, one made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" Hebrews 5:8