I was on the way to the YMCA with my three younger kids when the discussion turned to certain children’s characters who are dressed inappropriately. Lindsey commented that one of her friends had a backpack with these characters on it. “But they’re inappwopwiate,” Lindsey said.
We’ve talked about these characters before, but I thought it would be a good idea to reinforce the lesson. “Do you know why they’re inappropriate?” I asked.
“Yes,” Lindsey said.
“Why?” I asked, curious to see what she would say.
“Because you don’t allow them,” she said.
As far as Lindsey knew, the reason the characters were inappropriate for her was because of how I felt about them. It didn’t matter what my reasoning was, and it probably didn’t even occur to her to wonder. The fact that I didn’t allow them made them inappropriate, and that was sufficient for Lindsey.
Do you and I accept restrictions from God that easily? When He tells us something is inappropriate, is His word enough for us?
It should be.
Instead, we often accept His word grudgingly. Okay, I don’t agree, and I don’t like it, but since He’s God, I’ll have to accept it.
Or we try to make Him justify His reasoning. Why can’t I do that? That’s unreasonable. This doesn’t make sense, God.
Sometimes, we simply refuse to accept the restrictions He places upon us. This is nothing more—and nothing less—than blatant, open rebellion. Sin. I know what your command is, God. But I will not obey.
What do these three sinful reactions have in common? First, they all question God’s judgment. They all imply that if God would just think about it, He would realize that our way is better than His.
Second, they all reveal a complete lack of understanding that God only does things for our good. We tend to think that anything unpleasant must be bad for us. That isn’t necessarily true. Sometimes, the things that are most unpleasant bring us the greatest good. When God withholds something from us, we see it as His withholding the good, when in fact, the Bible clearly teaches that He will withhold no good thing from us.
However, the Bible also teaches that He withholds no good thing from those whose walk is blameless. Just as we sometimes withhold privileges from our children as a consequence for their behavior, so God may withhold something from us as a consequence for what we’ve done, or to get us to change our behavior. Something may be good in and of itself, but it may not be good for us to have it at a particular time. It may be better for us to do without it for awhile, or forever.
How, then, should we respond when God places a restriction upon us? We’ve already said that we shouldn’t respond by railing against it or by refusing to accept it. So what is the right response?
The right response to anything God does is always the same—loving, trusting acceptance, and voluntary submission to His will. Does God always expect us to like what He does? Of course not. But even when we don’t like something, we can say to Him, “God, I don’t like it. But because this is your will for me, I accept it. I know that somehow it fits in with your purposes, so I accept the portion you have assigned to me. I want to bring you glory through this.”
When the world sees us fighting against the God we claim to love and serve, or disregarding His wishes entirely, what kind of message do you think they get?
On the other hand, what message do they receive when they see us accepting His will, even when it’s not necessarily what we want?
What impression of God are you communicating to a watching world? Are you showing them that He is a God worth following, whose judgment is beyond question?
Or are you showing them that you think your judgment is equal to or better than His? That unless His ways please you, you won’t follow?
Oh, friend, I pray it’s the former for you. And I ask you to pray that it’s the former for me.
Psalm 84:11b—No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Isaiah 55:9—As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.