They are both so different that I have to really think through how I respond to them when they disobey. When Caleb was little I could get down low, give him a very stern and serious face, and speak in my "angry mommy" voice when he was naughty. . . and he would usually look straight at me and continue misbehaving (and I'm pretty sure - based on the look on his face - that he was thinking, "Que? No hablo inglese.") If I were to do the same for Alison she would fall to pieces and cry her little heart out over Momma being upset with her.
The end goal is the same (obedience), but the manner in which we achieve it for both of them is different. Ali only needs three magical words: Listen and obey. Usually her behavior immediately changes to ensure that we don't get upset.
I think sometimes I need to hear those same three words. I do a pretty good job of listening (most of the time), but I don't always carry it out in obedience. God has called us to a life of obedience, and it is through this obedience that we experience true intimacy, joy, and fullness in our walk with Him (Jn 14:15, 1 Jn 5:3-4).
But sometimes obedience doesn't come easy. Sometimes it feels like it would take a stern face and an angry voice to wake us up - and even then, sometimes we aren't convinced that obedience is better than what this world has to offer. But just like I love my kids, God loves us. He is patient with us - disciplining us for our own good, drawing us nearer to Him and helping us to see that His ways are better.
Today, I want to listen to what God has for me. And as I listen, I want to follow through with obedience. True life is waiting for me in that place. . . and my Savior is longing to meet me there.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
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