Mom Told Me No. I Did It Anyway.

Have you ever done something you knew you shouldn't have just because you wanted to?

For my senior prom I wanted to stay out all night with some friends.  We had a great plan that involved the after prom party, a walk on the beach, a hot tub and finally breakfast at a local restaurant.  But my Mom said, "No."  So I went anyway.

I still remember walking into the front door of the house to find my mom awake, eyes red and bulging, sitting in the rocker.  She was not happy.  But you know what, I had a good excuse.  I was nearly 18 had never gotten into trouble or done anything wrong... well, anything serious.  My cause - staying out all night with my friends - was more important to me than my Mom's command.

Have you ever done something you knew God had commanded you not to do because it conflicted with your cause?

-God instructs His followers to avoid debt (check out these verses from whitepaperbible.com) but often my cause, a bigger TV, a nicer car, new clothes, etc., is more important than His command.
-God's desire is that marriage be a once-for-life event (see Matthew 19:3-9) but many find good cause to ignore God's instruction and seek divorce - abuse, infidelity, got married young, I'm bored, I don't love them anymore.  (Notice I threw some legitimate causes - in my opinion - in with some not so legitimate ones because we can make them all sound legitimate.)
-God warns of the dangers of sin, murder, sexual immorality - including homosexuality, the slave trade, lying and perjury, (see 1 Timothy 1:9-11) but we almost always have a good cause for stepping over the line.

I always have a good excuse for ignoring God's command and doing my own thing... well, at least I convince myself of it at the time.  But whatever my cause, whatever reason I have for ignoring Him it's not good enough.  God's commands were made not to limit my life or keep me on a short leash, they are there to protect me, to help me look more like Jesus, to limit the negative effects of sin in my life.  And when I ignore them, whatever my cause, I only end up hurting myself and those I care about.

Whatever your cause.  Whatever reason you've got that you think trumps God's command.  You're not the first one to be in your position.  You're not the first one to come up with that specific argument.  Yours is not a special case or circumstance.  God's command is always more important than my cause, or yours.

When my Mom said I couldn't stay out all night after my senior prom isn't wasn't just because she said so - even though that was the reason she gave me - it was  because she knew that the likelihood of me getting into trouble physically, sexually, accidentally, was high and she wanted to spare me.

Honestly, that night could have ended much different than it did.  But as I told my exhausted mother when I came through the door, "I didn't do drugs, I didn't have sex, I didn't break any laws.  I'm tired and going to bed.  I'll be at church at 9:30."

I'm glad that God gave me the strength to get through that night.  I'm glad I had parents who wanted to protect my future, even if they weren't real good at articulating that, at least, that's how I remember it.  And I'm glad that God has given me parameters for my life to protect me from harm, from evil and from myself.

Whatever your cause right now, consider God's commands more important.  I think in the long-run you'll be glad you did.

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