By: Lyndsay Crews
It was Christmas time and we were decorating the house. Each kid had their own stocking and they kept attempting to look in their stocking in case a gift was already left in there. (A gift before Christmas?….They need to go ahead and lower their expectation of this mommy Santa.) My husband and I warned them to stop pulling on their stocking. Of course, about two minutes later, we heard a thud and then a wail. My 4-year old had pulled the stocking completely off the mantel including the stocking holder, which landed on the top of her foot. I knew it hurt and I did comfort her, but I was also thinking, “This could have been avoided if you would have obeyed me. You wouldn’t even be in pain right now.” As I held her, I counseled her on the importance of obeying mommy and daddy in the future. Never miss a good opportunity, right?
When was the last time you disobeyed God and suffered the consequences for it? Were you upset with God for making the rules or were you upset with yourself for breaking the rules? We may want something when the Bible says it is not a good thing. We may pull and get it, but the weight of what comes with it can cause pain we didn’t expect. Just like we tried to warn my 4-year old not to pull on the stocking, God uses His scripture to warn us about the importance of obeying Him. He lovingly puts rules in place to protect us–even from ourselves.
“He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” Luke 11:28
Do you think that God is trying to bless and protect you or do you think God is trying to make your life harder? Our view of God matters. Try to approach Him in prayer today like the loving parent He truly is.