Repicture Obedience at Homeনমুনা

“Because I said so.” How many of us actively try to avoid this phrase in our parenting because we hated it so much as a child?

This generation now more than ever before wants to know WHY. We try to explain the whys as best as we can. It works out some of the time. As a child, I thought I was ingenious for inventing (so I thought) the “why” game, asking my parents over and over to see what responses they came up with. When they got to the end of their rope and just couldn’t answer anymore, I felt as if I won. I caught them! There were things that even they didn’t know. The playing field was leveled. 

Sounds a lot like the fall of mankind in the book of Genesis.

As a parent now, I can see how foolish that is. Of course, there are things I don’t know, but I guarantee this- I love my children. I have their best interest in mind. I see things that they do not. I am training them to grow. But I would be doing my children a disservice if I did not ask them to accept some things by simply trusting me.

Just like the garden of Eden, we are caught between a question and a phrase. “Did God really say…” vs. “Because I said so.” Having questions is not bad! God is good and big enough to handle any question that we have. But there are a great many more things that He asks us to simply trust Him because He said so. The greatest things happen when we take that trust and act upon it, just like-

Moses stretching his staff over the Red Sea.

Joshua telling the people to shout.

Elijah pouring buckets of water over a sacrifice.

Esther approaching the king.

Peter jumping out of the boat. 

We know the rest of the story, but these heroes didn’t when they decided to trust the strange/dangerous commands just because God said so. 

Could it be that there is a supernatural benefit in “because I said so?” Will the trust that we have in our Heavenly Father be the catalyst to greater things? In the same way, will our child’s trust in us that leads to obedience opens up doors of blessing?

The answer to all of those is yes. Our trust leads to life abundantly. Let us train our children to trust God by teaching what trust looks like in our home.