Obedience - Everywhere I Look!!!

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=184531&picture=rural-road-to-snow-mountains

There are quite a few weeks during the year that are jammed-packed with stand-out feast days.  This week happens to be one of them!  From St. Ignatius to St. Luke,  St. Isaac Jogues to St. Paul of the Cross, this week of loaded inspiration  finds its end with the one and only St. John Paul II!  And what do these saints have in common?  Among a great number of attributes, they are shining examples of true obedience. 

I find this ironic, in a way, that this week of feasts should occur right now in my own life.  (Not that I should be surprised.)  It seems that everywhere I turn I am coming across the subject of obedience. From recent homilies and devotionals quoting saints on this topic to conversations with family, God is making it ABUNDANTLY clear that He is trying to tell me something.   But am I really listening? What  is He trying to tell me?    Now there's the rub.

Let's break it down.

It's obvious He is making the clear point that I need to focus on obedience in my life.   At least I've picked up on that part of the message!  However, I'm not sure as to which aspect of life that He is directing me to apply it to.  I can see areas that are sorely in need of a better response to obedience, but in no way have I been able to discern to which He is referring.  Is it one area?  Is it many?

I came across a quote (naturally!) from St. Mother Theresa that practically jumped off of the page a few days ago:  "Once you begin to neglect obedience, one by one everything goes.  It can happen to any of us.  Obedience is difficult but that's where love comes from.  We belong to Jesus and obedience is our strength." 

Then, today this quote showed up on my computer (of course!), this time from St. Ignatius:  "It is not hard to obey when we love the One Whom we obey."

I spent some time reflecting on these quotes and others that I had read (No joke, 5 quotes on obedience have popped up so far this week from different sources - daily actually!). It took some time to get past the feeling that this week I have been playing a version of  the character Evan in the movie Even Almighty (which, by the way,  just happened to be showing during our Edge Night for 6-8 graders at our church this past Monday),  but I finally had my epiphany.  

God is not asking me to be obedient in one specific aspect of my life.  He is asking me to be obedient IN ALL AREAS of my life - in each and every one!!!  

That's what He is asking of me.  That's what He is asking of ALL of us.   I had been over-complicating a very simple instruction.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."      John 14:15

Yep...words from the Man Himself. 

And, now that I've gotten the message, I'd better get crackin'! :)

God bless you on your own road to obedience in the Lord. 

If you and I live it well, it's guaranteed to be a road beyond our wildest dreams!