Obedience

“I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”  Genesis 22:17-18

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 2 John 1:6

Sometimes obedience doesn’t look the way we may think.

Years ago, I volunteered to deliver Meals on Wheels in the small town in which I was living. One house on the route stood out on this bitterly cold winter day. It was tiny, basically a shack. Paper-thin walls, windows frosted over with no insulation. The elderly woman living in it kept warm with a wood-burning stove or something similar, I can’t recall. I do recall thinking: this woman can’t be comfortable here. It’s too cold. This seems unsafe.

As the day went on, I thought more about her. As evening approached and it became even colder, I felt a nagging sense of unease, thinking about her circumstances.

I thought I needed to check on her. I'm not sure what I would’ve found, or what I would’ve done having found it, but I felt called to get in my car and go see her. Never mind that she had probably survived many cold, bitter winter days in her little home…today was the day that I noticed her!

It was so cold.

When I arrived, she was warm, cozy, and pleasantly surprised, maybe even amused, to see me. (Notice that I said SHE was warm and cozy…it still seemed too cold to me.) Feeling a bit foolish for having ventured out to check on someone who was doing just fine, I got in my car and went home, doubting my “message” from God that I was to go check on her. Even though my visit felt unnecessary, I was, however, glad to see that she seemed comfortable.

In our Pauses for Pentecost study (a word a day), one day’s word was: Listen. The author refers to a biblical scholar who had studied over 1,500 Biblical references and came to the conclusion that God’s biggest complaint is when we don’t listen. When I shared this story with my Bible study group, they assured me that I WAS obedient. The way they saw it, I was following God’s call…it didn’t matter that I didn’t swoop in to “save the day”, I was simply doing as God had asked. Maybe, they argued, I was called to simply let this elderly woman know that someone cared.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes it’s hard to know what you’d like us to do. Sometimes it’s crystal clear. Help us to listen to your voice so that we can discern your will. Forgive us when we miss it. Help us to understand that sometimes it’s the small moments of obedience that add up to a life lived serving you. Amen.

Donna Gustafson