Thursday, January 19, 2012
WHY DOESN'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME???!!!!
I have children. And I have a dog. Therefore I am often giving out orders, such as "Eat your breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, whatever the case may be)!" "Put your shoes on." "Brush your teeth." "GET IN THE HOUSE NOW!!!" (Tthat one is typically toward the dog.) And while we don't expect perfection from our children, we do expect obedience. I know that kids tend to forget themselves sometimes in the heat of the moment, and do foolish things. But when I give a clear command, I expect obedience, right now, without complaining or arguing. I know, most of you parents are probably thinking, 'Yeah, right, Merissa!' And you're right! More often than not, I get whining or arguing or just plain ignored. But we're working on that! But sometimes, particularly at the end of the day when the dog is outside in the snow barking at some unseen intruder five houses away and refusing to come inside even though I am yelling at him and snapping and clapping like a complete moron that I can't help but think (ok, yell) "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me???!!!" (And then I decide to leave said dog outside in the snow until I'm ready to answer his banging on the door.) At the same time I'm struck with the thought "God could say the same thing to me. To us." I know how unbelievably frustrated I can get when no one is paying any attention to what I've just told them to do (for the 10th time!), or when someone does the exact opposite of what I've just asked of them. So how must the Lord feel when I do exactly the same thing? God tells me to spend more time in the Word. I don't. He tells me I need to have some self-control. I don't. He tells me to get up early and pray. I set my alarm. When it goes off I turn it off and reset it for a more reasonable time, which actually means 5 minutes before I have to drag Aedan out of bed. And I'm sure you could fill in your own "God tells me to... but I don't." While God doesn't demand perfection from us, he does demand obedience. Right now, without complaining or arguing. Man, I hate when my words come back to bite me!
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You hit the nail on the head, Merissa! Of course, you are still HEARING God's voice, so that must mean that you are still obeying at least some. I was recently complaining to God about someone, thinking that I was in the right, when I opened my Bible to Isaiah 46:12, "Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness," and I knew He was talking to me. On the other hand, I find that my realization that I don't do so well obeying gives me more empathy toward my own children. How often does God forgive me? Not that it's without consequence, but can I discipline them with the same compassion the Lord shows me? It is most certainly a challenge!
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