Surrender Your Stubbornness
But they did not listen or pay
attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil
hearts. They went backward and not forward.
– Jeremiah 7:24
It was the story of Molly the Mule. Molly wouldn’t
obey anyone until the day she tore her lead loose and ended up tangled in
barbed wire. She had to lay there patiently as the wire was cut away from her, the
blood was rinsed from her body and all her wounds received ointment. Molly
changed when she realized her people were only trying to help her. She gave up
her stubbornness and became obedient.
God’s people would eventually learn the same lesson.
Again. We’re no different. God asks us to obey and we do until we get
overconfident in our own abilities. Then we slowly drift toward doing things
our way instead of His. When our lives are in shambles, we turn to God again
and repeat the process.
Why are we so stubborn? Why won’t we listen to the One
who knows what is best for us, the One who loves us unconditionally? Why must
we continually make bad choices that go against His best for our lives?
My youngest dog had a really bad day. He got into
trouble again and again. It’s like he couldn’t help himself. Destroying something
was awful. Trying to do it again was infuriating. But when he didn’t come when
he was called? That’s scary. He doesn’t see the danger. His coming when I call,
whether he wants to or not, can determine whether he remains safe or not.
That’s how it is with us. God wants to keep us safe and
happy. But we continually make bad choices and refuse to honor Him with our
lives. We let things slide. We make excuses. We all do. And we pay consequences
we never expected for what seemed like simple choices that wouldn’t make a
difference.
Life has a way of snowballing, doesn’t it? One small choice
leads to another larger choice. My little fellow wasn’t thinking about getting
hurt. He wasn’t thinking about danger. He simply wanted to run and play where
he wanted to run and play. I knew that one encounter with a new calf could
result in serious injury. Mama cows, especially those with newborns, are
extremely protective. He would only want to play with the new calf but mama cow
wouldn’t see it that way.
That’s how we are. We only want to play. And have fun.
What’s one night out in a bar with our co-workers? What does it matter if I
fudge a little on my taxes or text while I’m driving? Surely no one cares if I
miss church to go to the beach or a ballgame. Let someone else volunteer, and
tithe, and visit the elderly or sick.
Except we aren’t here to serve ourselves. We are here
to do God’s will and to serve others so that He might be glorified through us.
In turn, we end up happier and more satisfied when we’re focused on God and
others instead of ourselves.
It’s hard to relinquish our stubborn need to control.
It’s not so easy to step aside and put others before ourselves. And it surely
doesn’t feel great when God asks us to do something we really don’t want to do.
Do it anyway.
As Molly the Mule learned, true freedom comes when we
surrender control and let God lead us.
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