Obey

Our children's ministry for 2nd and 3rd grades this week was teaching on Obedience. I love my church! We talked about the difference between obey and obeying all the way. You see we can obey and not obey all the way. You know, you ask the kids to clean up their room. They have a few options.
1. Ignore you and hid out in the room.
2. Shove things in the closet, under the bed or wherever they can to get it out of site.
3. Put things where they belong.
Option 1 complete disobedience. Option 2 they obeyed, the room IS cleaner. Right? Option 3 they did it as asked and the room truly is clean. This would be what our church called obeying all the way. The kids went back to their rooms and acted out different scenarios of how they can obey or obey all the way. Obey may include doing it but grumbling and complaining the whole way only to do it half heartedly and at your own sweet time. I am sure some of you parents can relate to this response.
It was Sunday where I learned one of our new family mantras. The lady teaching large group time shared it with us all. In her family it is, "Obey right away, all the way and with a cheerful heart." Brilliant!
This is now the response in our home. Obey right away. When mom or dad ask. Not 10 minutes from now or after your TV show is over. Obey all the way. Completing the task to mom and/or dads expectation. Obey with a cheerful heart. No grumbling or arguing. No throwing things around. No pouty faces. Cheerful. It is revolutionizing our family time.


Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Phillippians 2:14
Do everything without complaining or arguing

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

Colossians 3:20 is our memory verse of the week. I really like it.