To God First

Colossians 3:20

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:1

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Obedience is really not my strong suit. Denying my interests and submitting to someone else’s commands has always been a struggle of mine. As I expressed earlier, I was a pretty feisty kid. I wore the mask at church and school, but when I was alone with my family, I battled anger more than the average child. I had no reason to blow up at my family. God gave me some pretty rad parents who love Jesus more than anything, and trained me up in the word of God. Plus, two older brothers who still go out of their way to drive me insane, but would protect me from anyone, or anything, that ever got in my way. Even still, I would find reasons to become enraged, and I struggled from the time I was a toddler, until I was about 11 or 12. I would get mad over just about anything, and often times, I truly had no idea why I was kicking and screaming.  Around the age of 8 or 9, I began to run outside when no one was looking, and climb onto my roof. I thought about throwing myself off, several times, but by God’s grace, I never did. By the time I was 11, something started to click within me, and I finally allowed God to work in my heart. I began to recognize that the only times I calmed down, were when my mom held me, prayed over me, and read scripture to me. After this realization, I wrote out several scriptures on notecards, and read them out loud every night before I went to bed, and every time I felt myself getting angry. I am overjoyed to say that it worked. How did it work, you might ask? Because I was submitting my spirit, to God’s spirit. I was changing allegiances and choosing to fight, and walk in obedience, rather than talk with the devil and let him guide my path. God completely wrecked my heart, and remade me into a new creation. By his strength, through his grace, and in his love, I am not who I once was. Psalm 44:3 says, “Not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.” I am a bondservant of Christ. I am not perfect, by any means, but I am a fighter and I will continue to fight to be set free. I will fight to be a child yielded unto the Lord, because before we can be obedient to our parents, or anyone for that matter, we must learn to be obedient to God. Then and only then will we know what freedom is. And what is freedom? Denying yourself, and daily walking in obedience to the voice of the Lord. Jesus, give me ears to hear your voice, eyes to see your beauty, lips to praise your name, and a soul in tune with your will. 

Application: On Saturday, when I have wifi, I will call my family and tell them how thankful I am for their prayers, and the love they lavished on me even when I was a mess. I will also read my notecards with scripture on them, every night before I go to bed this week.