Remember when it was that simple?
Remember when wearing a hand-made necklace home from Sunday School was all you needed as a reminder to simply obey?
When did it get so stinkin' hard?
I watched Remi wear her necklace to the car on Sunday with pride. I watched her show it off at lunch to anyone who even glanced in her direction. I watched her look at it and repeat the words over and over, "I will obey God." The necklace symbolized what obedience looks like to a 4 year old. Simple. Plain. Easy. Colorful. Lightweight. Homemade.
I thought to myself, "You wanna see a necklace, Remi? A real obedience necklace? Let me show you mine." And then I imagined what it would look like. Heavy. Dark. Weighted down. Missing pieces. Uneven edges. Of course I didn't say this to her because after all she is only 4 and it seemed a little heavy to someone who was picking their nose and eating mac & cheese at the same time.
But my obedience, at least right now, is not pretty necklace. Its heavy and it costs me something every time I wear it. Which is why, more times than not lately, I leave it on my dresser at home and think, "It doesn't go with these shoes....maybe next time." But every time I leave it, it gets easier to leave the next time.
Which is why I wish my necklace looked like hers. Easy. Bright. Simple. Then perhaps I would wear it with as much preciousness as she did.
Perhaps.
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4 comments:
Lovely. Was just sitting here thinking pretty much the same thing. Have been reading the book"Crazy Love". The path is not easy, but the reward is great.
I've found the less I concentrate on the rules and the more I concentrate on His infininte, unfailing, undeserving, unconditional grace that was bestowed upon me... It's then, fueled by a deep love and gratitude, I find the rules are obeyed a little bit easier. :o)
Of course the sin in me will continually battle until the day I die and I'm often tempted to focus on the rules. When I do, I find myself either "trying harder" or "doing more," which leads me to the weightiness you speak of. Which of course, ultimately, more often than not, I then find myself discouraged and leaving "my necklace in the drawer" too... Because that method of obedience is just too hard.
But I learned a very valuable lesson over the last couple of years. It's not about the rules. It's about the gospel. The good news that HE did for me what I cannot do for myself. When I marvel in the weightiness of THAT, next thing I know I'm obeying because I want to (rather than have to), I'm obeying because He's continually renewing and refining me. I'm obeying because of love and I'm guilt free :o)
Look at your necklace a little closer, Melissa. Don't you see all those sparkly diamonds...once was ugly old carbon/mineral deposits...but the heat and flames of life have turned that into diamonds! Wear it with pride knowing you & Jesus keep adding to it.
A beautiful post...
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