This weekend I went home to help our first ever garage sale in the history of the Park family. I came in with positive expectations but I was not prepared for how turbulent this seemingly innocent visit home would turn into what was undeniably the most painful interfamily conflicts we had to overcome.
Being a respect-me, it's hard for me to subjugate myself, especially in situations when I believe I am in the right. Since entering high school, I've had this mentality that I've been catching up to my parents in terms of wisdom. I felt closer in wisdom than ever before having taken a leadership course, reading books such as Crucial Conversations and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. What I didn't realize, was that I was relying on shakable, worldly wisdom, and that I was putting that in front of unshakable, heavenly wisdom contained in the Bible.
The matter of the conflict isn't of issue, nor is the fact that I thought my actions and words were completely justified. The Bible clearly states that we, as children, are expected to practice perfect obedience towards our parents. Though it's a command found in the Bible, I always find this instruction to be one of the hardest to accept. For me to let go of my pride and stand down to obey is extremely difficult, because usually I find my way or options to be superior to that of my parents.
This passage found in Luke I find to be really helpful when it comes to struggling with my parents. It's not like other passages found within the Bible where it explicitly states that children must obey their parents, but actually accounts a story when Jesus himself obeys His parents!
When I am told to do something that I deem unreasonable or illogical, I try to press my stance against my parents, claiming that my wisdom should be considered over theirs. Yet we see Jesus here, the mighty saviour that washed away all the sins of humanity, obeying his parents without question. Why do I believe I can rebel against my parents, thinking that I am so wise, when Jesus, who is infinitely wiser than all of us, submits to His parents? Because of his obedience, the passage says that his mother was blessed. I want to bring that type of blessing to my parents.
I think it's important to observe that Jesus obeys not only his worldly parents, in that He returned to Nazareth with his parents when He was instructed to do so, but that He also obeys his heavenly Father, who is father to all of us. Jesus stayed in Jerusalem because He knew that He had to stay in his Father's house, the temple courts, to listen to the Word in obedience to God's commands. Those commands set forth by God, surpass the commands that pass the lips of mere humans, and it is within God's commands that we are to obey our worldly parents.
In the end, all conflicts were resolved. The entire family got involved, all of us yelling at each other, and the funny thing was, it took the outburst of my youngest brother Seth and his one request for us to listen to his words for us to make amends. He spoke of how God put us into one family for a reason, and that by arguing and fighting, we were breaking the bonds God granted to us. While everyone was yelling and advocating their own worldly wisdom, Seth advocated God's wisdom, and it was those potent words that settled our hearts and brought light to the folly of our wordly wisdom.
I pray that I can bring blessings upon my parents by listening to them and practicing perfect obedience. Instead of cherishing my own self-proclaimed worldly wisdom, may God grant me in his grace his heavenly wisdom so that I may not refute my parents' commands. May I also obey the commands set forth by my heavenly Father, and that by doing so, I can eventually raise my own children in the Word to obey and bring glory to God. Help me realize that it is God's instructions for me to obey my parents, especially when the times are tough and when the situation seems unreasonable. Let me internalize the irrefutable fact that by disobeying my parents means I am going against God's Word. May my obedience to my parents bring blessings upon them, and may my obedience to God bring him glory.
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