My young sons were playing in the park the other day with my husband. They had spent the better part of the afternoon there and it was starting to get dark. Time to go home. We recently moved to a new neighborhood within walking distance of this particular park so my husband decided to see if the boys were familiar with their surroundings enough to find their way home.
“Boys, it’s time to go home. Our house is that way, ” he said pointing broadly to the west.

Except our house is actually in the exact opposite direction…

Jonah, our 3 year old, looked at Gabe, saw his pointed finger, and took off running in the direction it was indicating yelling, “Okay daddy!” as he bounded off. The boy loves to run. It took Gabe by surprise how quickly he bolted away- without question and with fervor- such immediate obedience. Blindly and unquestioning, Jonah heard his father’s instructions and obeyed them with gusto. He was 50 yards away before he heard Gabe hollering at him to stop and turn around! If only our oldest, Jesse (or as we call him, Little Napoleon, was so immediately and blindlessly obedient… he simply looked up at Gabe during the initial instructions and told him promptly that our house was in the other direction- the boy’s got internal GPS! But I digress….)

I love that my kid listens to his daddy. I love that, despite ‘incorrect’ directions, he still obeyed what he wanted him to do. Even if it didn’t make sense. Even if it went against what he knows to be true.

If only we as Christians would obey our Father in heaven so immediately and blindly!

Even when He gives us ‘incorrect’ directions…

Scripture tells us over and over to have faith like a child. Abram had it despite God commanding him to sacrifice his son. Moses did it when God told him to meet with Pharoah while doing and saying some pretty crazy things. Joshua obeyed when he was told to simply march around the walls of Jericho. The Bible is littered with examples of obedience in the face of seemingly insane instructions.

I am constantly convicted of how little my own faith looks like a child’s and how hard it is for me to achieve such faith! It shouldn’t be so tough and yet it is! My head, logic, reason, and foolishness get in the way much too often for me to ever claim to have faith like a child. It is a sad state of affairs when my 3 year old shows more obedience and pursuit of instructions from his father than I do of my heavenly Father. Oh to run away with such immediate vigor in the direction God tells me to; without hesitation, without argument, without questioning the reasoning- even when the instructions seem to make no sense at all!

As a mom, it frustrates me to no end when my littles question me or delay their obedience. In fact it often infuriates me! I desperately want them to listen and obey. We have a song in our house about obedience- “When we obey we do it right away, we do it all the way, and with a happy heart.” Gabe and I instituted it several years ago for the kids, but dadgum! does God not use it almost daily to convict me of my own obedience to Him! Funny how He works like that… and how often my behavior must frustrate Him (thank God for grace!! Amen?)

I want to be like my Jonah- who listens and obeys his father immediately, with excitement, as fast as his little legs can carry him; without thought or argument, without reasoning or suggesting a better direction.

So today, dear one, I challenge you to pursue running away with as much gusto and faith as you can muster. Look to where God is pointing His finger and GO!

Will you obey right away, all the way, and with a happy heart?

RUN AWAY TODAY

Thank you for taking the time to read my heart today. Please comment below with thoughts and ruminations of where your walk is today. Please share and follow if this blesses you!