Partial Obedience or Disobedience – The Person that I Am Becoming
Partial obedience is complete disobedience. That is harsh, but that is also true.
Not long back, I felt led to do four things. The goal was to do those four things every single day. The objective was to get my focus back on God and what He had been leading me towards in my life.
I managed to stay consistent in my endeavor for two whole weeks – and that was a life time compared to many of my challenges. Juggling a full-time writing career, three home schooled boys, the house, a marriage, a father-in-law, and life in general can be tough on its own. Adding a challenge of significance means I end up with a lot of plates spinning.
I spun those plates without incident for almost two weeks and then I let something slide. It was a small thing, but it was part of one of the four things that I had committed to complete. I trudged ahead with the rest of the four, or at least the three.
Just doing three would mean that it would be easier now.
The plates began to wobble. I found myself looking for shortcuts. One of my four things had been to clean the sink out each night before going to bed. So, I would just leave the dishes on the stove. My sink would be clean even if the intent behind the goal had not been fulfilled. I was defeating my own plan.
I finished the month and I was proud that I managed to finish the month. I reviewed my efforts and then I began to recognize that I missed the whole pint of what I had been trying to do from the beginning. I had been lead to do certain things to get my focus back on God. I made the choice to cut corners and do my things instead.
My review shifted to a conversation with God about repentance. I knew I was not being obedient to His will. And I recognized in my not being obedient that I was being disobedient. Instead of beating myself up over my lapse, I determined to start over.
Despite the struggles that I faced, I still find myself face to face with the desire to take short cuts or to cheat out right. I am left wondering what kind of person I am if I know what to do and I am tempted to do something else instead – even when I know that doing what I know to do leaves to blessing and peace.
“Just keep pushing.” I love the story of “PUSH” about the man pushing on a rock because God told him to push on the rock. In the end, it was the effort of pushing that made the difference in the man. “Just keep swimming.” Dori refused to allow circumstance or situations to distract her from her focus and because of that she found her desired end.
The knowledge that my obedience brings my Father joy should be the motivation to keep me moving in the right direction. It should be the catalyst that allows me to overcome the temptation to do what I want to do instead of what I know to do.
I may want to quit, but I will keep going. I may want to take short cuts – to cheat, but I will keep going. What does that say about the person that I am becoming?
Be blessed,
