Following the Rules

While laying down the rules for her kids, Claire McGarry recognizes the parallel to how God laid down His rules for us.

God is resourceful and can use any and all circumstances to teach us about Him, if we let Him. With me, He knows my understanding grows every time I view things through the lens of motherhood.

As I lay down the rules for technology, curfew, and grades for my teens, I peel back another layer of understanding of the rules God has laid out for me. Neither of us wants to be a buzzkill. Neither one of us is creating restrictions just because we can.

We both want what's best for those we love. We see the pitfalls before they happen, and we try to derail them by making certain things off limits. We know that if our children would just follow our rules, they'd be better off for it.

And, oh the frustration when they don't. As much as I prefer the loving Father Jesus teaches about in the New Testament, when my kids break my rules, I can relate to the angry and wrathful God of the Old Testament. I'm assuming all parents can.

But rather than giving in to and acting upon the wrath we feel when our kids disobey us, I think we're supposed to feel the emotion for another reason. It helps us draw a direct parallel to God's frustration with us when we disobey His rules.

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All God wants is our good, and He outlines how we are to live so we can experience that. #catholicmom

All God wants is our good, and He outlines how we are to live so we can experience that. It's not our job to question the boundaries, or color outside them.

Today you have accepted the Lord’s agreement: He will be your God, and you will walk in His ways, observe His statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey His voice. And today the Lord has accepted your agreement: you will be a people specially His own. (Deuteronomy 26:17-18a)

To be God's people, we need to hold up our end of the bargain. We need to “observe His statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey His voice.” That's how we remain people who are “specially His own,” a people who are "holy to the Lord."

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