A good friend shared about his struggle reading the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament.  There is a theme that he saw through the humdrum of what he read.  The theme, Moses obeyed what God asked him to do.  When you hear the word obedience what is your initial response?  My friend said that he reels when he hears this word.  When I hear the word obedience there is a heart reaction of impending doom or disaster.  What is behind these reactions?  Dutiful, do what I have told you to do!  Being dutiful is about doing what you have been told to do that another person believes what will make your life better.  The problem with being dutiful is that someone else knows better how you should live out your life.  If you have been dutiful, you will likely have a heavy heart.

Obedience to what God speaks isn’t about bettering our lives, obedience is about loving and caring for people.  God’s desires for each of us is to know and experience the love, compassion, grace, and discipline that will guide our own hearts to care about each other.  When we care about others disappointment is something we can’t avoid. To care and love others in the midst of disappointment takes courage and strength.  God’s hope for each of our lives is to free our hearts from how we attempt to avoid the struggles we face.  God’s heart is to take us down a healing path embracing what is impacting our hearts.

Being dutiful takes us down a different road,  a road that we or others believe will prevent us from struggling in this world. There are different understandings of being dutiful that will be shared in the next posts.  One form of dutifulness comes from a fundamental church, the other from an alcoholic father.

Remember, obedience too often is confused with the pursuit of being dutiful.  Obedience expresses love and care in the midst of  life’s struggles.  Being dutiful avoids the struggles of life through attempts of living  a good and “righteous life.”