“God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what You tell me, my whole life one long, obedient response.” Psalm 119:33-34, The Message Bible

Obedient Response

We keep the hall door closed to keep our “new addition kitten” out of certain rooms for her own safety (and perhaps a little of our own peace of mind).

However, this exuberant kitten has more tenacity in her tiny paw than an adult lioness stalking her prey. This “extreme kitten” has one, and only one, goal in life. Her goal is to get through that door before I see her, and she is slick, sneaky, and speedy. She is determined to find out what lurks behind that mysterious door!

I am weak with laughter at our recent “door wars” episode. “Stealth kitten” can sprint across the floor and slide through that opening before I can see her, and get through the door and get it closed behind me. Startled that she is actually now in front of me as she rounds second base on her way to home plate, I am running to catch her. Believe me, I now know why God gave mischievous kittens nice long tails. Whew, I won another battle and tossed this smart kitten back through that mystery door from the outer limits, back into the safe zone. That is, until someone heads for the hall door, which begins the next episode of door wars.  She is wildly disobedient in every way possible. Whether dogs, cats, or children, teaching obedience is a challenge.

She makes me laugh because of this game we play, but I began to reflect on my own challenges with obedience. Do I play games with God? Do I press past those boundaries outside of the perimeter that God sets for my safety? Do I climb over the baby gate, or slide through the slight door opening? Do I touch the wet paint or hot stove just to challenge the boundary? Do I become my own god, and choose my own will without consulting His will? Laughter is not what I hear from God when I am disobedient to the example He set in His Word. When I repent of my poor attitude, or un-Christlike heart or behavior, He lovingly reprimands and corrects me, but not always without consequence. Sometimes disobedience requires discipline; other times it may cause me (or others) more grief than I had considered.

“God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what You tell me, my whole life one long, obedient response.”