OBEDIENCE IS NOT AGREEMENT

In my last post, “Life Isn’t a Greenhouse” 9/26/18, I started looking at how each of us navigates life when conditions are less than ideal or even extremely difficult. Even though life is very blessed (if we’re looking at the good things and not fixated on the bad) and the benefits are bountiful (Psalm 103), we frequently find ourselves facing very hard things. My experience is that the blessings and difficulties of life most often occur in the same season. Life is never ‘all good’ nor ‘all bad.’ Rather than becoming dominated by the hard things, to the point of discouragement or disobedience, it is important for us to understand how to continue to move forward in our daily lives.

“Obedience” is a common word. Most of us likely assume that we know what it means. The Oxford Dictionary provides the following definition: “Compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.” That definition contains several words that may elicit a strong internal reaction: compliance, submission, and authority.

It seems like in our world today, obedience has been reduced to agreement. If I agree with the order, request, or law (using the words in the above definition), then, and only then, will I obey. If I don’t agree, I will resist or rebel. If I think there is a better way, or I have alternative idea, I will argue my point, sometimes very aggressively. 

Have you noticed there’s a lot of ‘attitude’ in our world today? “Don’t tell me what to do!” “I’ll live the way I want to live” and “You don’t control me.” Personally, I don’t see these attitudes making things better, even for those who hold them. I believe the opposite is true.

The Dutch researcher, Geert Hofstede, has done an extensive study of the six factors distinguishing cultures around the world. One of the factors is INDIVIDUALISM. It may or may not surprise you that the United States is ranked as the most individualistic nation in the world, of the 66 countries studied. While there may be ways to ‘spin’ this as a positive characteristic, there is a significant downside to living with an individualistic mindset.

I have observed two ways individualism impacts obedience:

One, people obey to the degree that it benefits them personally. That is what happens when we are controlled by individualism. Sayings, such as: “Do you” or “Get yours” or “It’s my right” are far too frequently the mantras we hear today.

Two, people obey when the feel like it. Emotions, far more than any type of moral or truth-based values, influence obedience. Emotion-based obedience is dangerous because our emotions so frequently change.

In Hofstede’s study, COLLECTIVISM is the contrasting characteristic to individualism. As I understand it, the general idea of collectivism is to seek the common good. The Central American country of Guatemala excels in this quality. It is the idea of thinking of others, and not just oneself.

In my next post we will continue to explore obedience, submission, and control. It’s possible there is a better way to live, a better mindset in which to experience life, than what you have previously known and practiced.

IDEA: Ask the Lord to show you someone you can serve today. I’m thinking about an expressed kindness. You get bonus points if your serving includes both word and deed (say something and do something). If you’re going through a difficult time, choose two people. I believe it will make a difference in your mindset.

LIFE ISN'T A GREENHOUSE

09.26.18

Though I am not an expert in greenhouses, I think I understand how they generally function. The purpose of a greenhouse is to create the ideal conditions for growth, regardless of the season outside the greenhouse. Heat and humidity are controlled to produce the ideal environment for growing things.

Maybe you’ve noticed that life doesn’t always provide us with what would be considered ideal conditions. There is often something or someone in our life contributing to a less than ideal environment for our growth and thriving.

What we do when we face these less than ideal conditions will determine, to a great degree, whether will thrive in life.

The dangerous and deceptive thing is that we often think we know what the conditions should be in our life. We think we know what would work for our best benefit. So, we take over management of our ‘greenhouse’ [life] and we look to acquire what we think we need to create the ideal conditions. Our prayers often become instructions for God, so He will know what to do; like He needs our wisdom, or our world may fall apart. 😊

In life I have been humbled many times. That which I thought was the ‘worst,’ God worked for His best in my life. That which I thought would be ‘best’ for my life, ended up not being helpful and, at times, even a hindrance to God’s purposes.

The stages of a seed provide a powerful life lesson. Before a seed ever sprouts [germinates] it is placed in the ground and “dies”.

In John 12:24 we find these words of Jesus: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (NIV) 

Buried, surround by soil and shrouded by darkness, the seed has all the appearances of something that has died. Not so. It is the first stage in the new life that will sprout from the seed. You may be in a ‘dark place’ right now and feel like you’ve been ‘buried’ by life. Remember, God has placed His seed (His precepts and promises) in you to grow, so give it time.

What is so shocking about what Jesus is saying, is that very few of us share His view of death. It is hard for us to comprehend the stages of a seed, where the process of life begins with the dying of the seed.

Tomatoes are an item that are often grown in a greenhouse. If it were winter, we could probably find a greenhouse tomato in the produce section of the grocery store. The funny thing about tomatoes grown in a greenhouse is they, as you would expect, have many of the features of a tomato (color, shape, size, etc.). But if you are given the choice between eating a greenhouse tomato or one grown in the ground, there is no comparison. One can immediately tell the difference in flavor, texture, and juiciness. Nothing beats a sun-ripened tomato!

As I see it, we each face a choice: Will we try to live in a greenhouse (a place where we control all the conditions) OR are we willing to ‘die’ in the ground (so we can live)?

In my next post I want to explore topics, such as: obedience, submission, and control, specifically, in the context of when conditions of our life are less than ideal.