"Obedience is to do what you are told, when you are told, with a happy heart!"

Have you heard that before? I must have heard that a million times when I was young because it still rings loudly in my mind.

I am constantly reminding my daughter of this statement above. See, she is a really good girl, but being 4 nearly 5 she is learning how to obey and how to obey the right way. See, sometimes she will do what she is told to do but she complains, shrugs her shoulders and hesitates to do it. Sometimes, she wants to wait, she wants to put it off until, well, until she wants to do it or it is more convenient for her. The challenge is that this is not true, pure obedience. This is disobedience.

I find this to be true for me today. On a different level, of course. My instructions aren't necessarily coming from my parents any more. I have many different people that I am responsible to. Mostly, I am responsible to God.

I find myself struggling to obey with a "happy heart" all of the time when God gives me instruction. Sometimes, like Carmen (my daughter), I struggle with doing what God tells me to do when He tells me to do it. For some reason I think I may have better timing or something. I have told Carmen to do something that would pull her away from her toys and she struggles with that. In the same way, God tells me to do things that pull me away from things I like or enjoy. Sometimes God gives me instruction that doesn't seem to make sense for my timing, I struggle with that.

God has revealed this statement to me: "Obedience is to do what your told, when your told, with a happy heart."

Regardless of my agenda, my plan and my priorities. I have to be obedient. Why? For the same reason Carmen has to be obedient. If she isn't, discipline will inevitably occur. I hate discipline just like Carmen does. The good news is that when she is obedient she is rewarded - blessed. Same for me, when I am obedient, I am rewarded and blessed.

We have two choices: 1. Obedience. 2. Disobedience.

Which will you choose?