Obedience

A good friend of mine is having trouble getting her 15 year old to do all the things he needs to do, so she decided to offer him the incentive of a reward if he gets things done. He turned her down, however. He said that he did not want the stress of having to behave.

i feel like that sometimes. A reward in the future is just not enough incentive for me to do something now. And being concerned and worried about losing a certain reward based on what i do is really stressful.

i had a good time in Athens yesterday. We had a prayer ministers meeting after church, then a wonderful baby shower for Amantha where i got to see a bunch of people that i love, then i went to a house warming party for some new friends of mine.

Today however, i woke up and knew that i was not supposed to be there. it was the first time that i have not had peace when i was in Athens. And it broke my heart.

So home i came, all the while thinking of obedience and what the costs and rewards are. Sometimes i want to forgo the reward and just do whatever i want. But then i remember that this is not just about a reward. This is about love. This is about laying my life down over and over and over again. It is hard. but it is good. Really good.

Yesterday, my wonderful Sunday School teacher said "obedience doesn't earn you anything, but it puts you in a position to receive"

i am positioning myself.