What is it about obedience that causes consternation? Is it that we think obedience means giving up freedoms? Consider the Ten Commandments. Is it just a list of “thou shalt nots” – all those rules of God telling us what we can’t do?
Obedience may sometimes seem so confining. The commandments seem too restrictive. Nobody likes being told what to do. We want to be free to do as we please, to spend on anything we want. But how does that work out?
St Peter tells us how that works out. In 1 Pt 2:8 he says, “They stumble by disobeying the word.” Think about what happens when you disobey or ignore God’s word because you think you know better, you have a better way to find happiness. What would that way be, you ask?
Our culture is quick to tell us how to achieve success and be happy. It says we need to get more stuff and pursue more leisure to make us feel happy and seem successful. This often requires spending on credit cards, building up balances that aren’t paid off every month, and so accrue exorbitant interest rate charges. And for many, this credit card debt is on top of a car loan, student loans, and maybe a mortgage. These debts are contractual obligations. They must be repaid, no matter what.
Those payments add stress to our lives. That is slavery (Pv 22:7), not freedom. Having to make those payments means we have less to give, and so we miss out on the joy that giving brings.
Here’s the thing, as counter intuitive as it may sound, obedience to God’s Word and His commands is the key to freedom. If we have faith, if we trust that God loves us, then we believe His word is living and effective (Heb 4:12). We believe that He wants only what is best for us.
St. Alphonsus Liguori said, “He who trusts in himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.” Loving God, putting Him first in every area of our lives, being obedient to His word, and giving is living a legacy of kindness and generosity that leads to the truest sense of peace and happiness we all seek.
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