To obey or not to obey

As I came out of church Sunday to get in my car, I saw a bird in the bush in front of my car. Not unusual, that’s true except that this bird did not fly away as I opened my car door and got in. It sat unblinking and as still on its perch as if it were made of wood. It looked like a mature bird except its tail feathers were too short. A bird in the tree overhanging the bush chirped nervously in a motherly tone I’ve heard before. She was warning it to stay still, and the baby bird obeyed.

Had I been a cat any movement would have attracted attention. Even if the cat could smell the baby it would not have been interested unless the bird moved. As I started my car and drove away I thought how Heavenly Father has given us agency to come to earth even as the mother bird had coached the baby bird to leave the nest. He has given us commandments, scriptures, prophets, teachers and parents among others to make the rules of life known to us. Just as it was a matter of life and death to the baby bird to obey, it is a matter of life and death for us to obey. I don’t know if birds have agency or not, but we do. Some of our choices lead to long term consequences of pain and suffering, but eventually we all die physically. The important thing is that we not die spiritually.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but inside of me beats the heart of a rebel. Mom would tell me I had to do something and I’d want to know why. “Because I said so,” is not the proper response to a rebel. As a result I have said I do not believe in obedience – not blind obedience at least. I still what to know why. I want to make informed decisions and not follow tradition necessarily.  As a matter of fact I don’t believe that God wants us to follow in blind obedience. I think he wants us to question and to find the answers before making choices.  As a baby we must, like the little bird, follow out of obedience, but out on our own we need to know how to make correct decisions.

The Jews had a problem with Jesus. “How knoweth this man letters having never learned,” they asked. (John 7:15)

In other words, what synagogue did he attend? What Rabbi did he follow?So they saw Jesus as a rebel.

And Jesus answered, “My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.”  (John 7:16 -17)

Or in other words if we obey God’s will we will learn his doctrine. His Spirit will guide us and we will know if it be right. And no, this is not easy, look at all the different churches that profess to follow Christ. Some are more right than others so where is the truth? We must study, listen, learn, and follow Him by the Spirit and find the truth.