Obeying without Grumbling

Attitude makes all the difference, doesn’t it? I think any parent can say this, especially if you’ve reached the teenage years with your kids. We all expect our kids to obey us, but it’s always much more enjoyable when they do so with a positive, or even just neutral, attitude. Lately I’ve had a child whose immediate response to anything I ask him is ‘No’ followed by ‘I don’t care’. And let me tell you, that’s so much fun day after day (after day). And, for the most part, he’s purposefully just giving me a hard time, not truly being disobedient (cause he will eventually do what I asked) but that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating. And I don’t expect my kids to obey without a certain amount of push back, that’s just human nature, but I always appreciate it when they obey with a more positive attitude.
Which is interesting because recently I got to tell one of my kids a story that Jesus shares in Matthew 21.28-30, “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.” (ESV) And then Jesus asks, “Who obeyed the father?” And we know that it was the first son, right? He may have said he wouldn’t but in the end, he did.
And Jesus’ point is that obedience, actually doing, is more important than what we say, but I think it also matters what that attitude is toward what we’re doing. We can do all sorts of good and wonderful things, but if we don’t have the right attitude in it, then it seems to miss the point. I think we’ve all seen that, even done that, from time to time. The task or the job or deed might be accomplished, but there was an awful lot of complaining happening during it. Or, if you’re like me, there can be an awful lot of huffing and puffing to show my frustration while doing it.
And Paul picks up on this idea in Philippians 2.14, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” (ESV) It’s so easy to get caught up into just doing that we don’t think about our attitude when we do it. And this is especially true when it comes to obeying God’s desires for our lives. Sure it’s good to do what God has called us to do, but how much greater is it when we can do so in a positive attitude. I believe, just like with my kids, that when we obey without grumbling and complaining our relationship with our Father gets stronger. God bless.