I’ll Do It Later

 

                      I’ll Do It Later

By Liz King

     Part of growing up in life is having chores around the house. Some do dishes, some do trash, some mow lawns, some do laundry. The list of household chores can be endless.  When I was growing up there was no talking back, you were told once to do something and you did it. If you didn’t do what you were told there would be consequences.  Chores have purpose and they also teach and help those around us. This blogpost is not about the chores per say but about the act of obedience and why we do them.

     I am now a mom of two amazing teenagers.  They are good kids, but they don’t always do what I tell them immediately which frustrates me.  There are times that I tell my kids my wants and expectations of a chore and it is done halfway. It is either partially done or done the easiest and quickest way possible. Dishes can come out of the dishwasher dirty meaning it has to be redone, defeating the whole purpose of doing the dishes. Or only one trash can is taken out ignoring the other trash cans. When a chore is ignored it can cause chaos or a backing up of sorts.  Doing chores makes a house functional.  ignoring chores, your house then becomes non functional. So it is with us, spiritually. I am in no way trying to throw my kids under the bus.  It was what God used to speak to me today to write about. Just like I want my kids help and want my children’s obedience, so God wants ours. We are His servants. He wants us to serve with a humble heart filled with love and gratitude.  God uses us to tend his flock and his harvest. We are his hands and feet.

      Why am I talking about chores? This morning I walked into a room and the trash was piled up. I was frustrated because I have told my child many times that he has to tend to all the trash but it stays neglected until I’m either breathing down his neck or I give up on him doing it and I empty it.  There are times when I ask my kids to do their chores and they’ll say, “I just got home.  I’m busy right now. I’ll do it later.”  Later comes and they either have not done it or forgotten about it all together.  It frustrates me to no end. Some chores take 5 minutes max, some are messier than others but when asked to do something there needs to be the act of obedience.  As I was frustrated with the trash situation and thinking to myself, “How many times do I ask my child to do something and they ignore it to the point it’s forgotten and out of control?” Then my thoughts went to how many times do we do this to God?

    Has God ever told you to do something, surrender something, forgive someone and we say maybe later? Do we  put it off!  Do we ignore it?  Many of us want to have a deep relationship with God or say whatever you ask of me God, I’ll do, but we put ourselves before him, or we ignore his requests and commands when he does ask something of us.  We come up with excuses, we ignore things to where it either piles up out of control to the point we give up or don’t care anymore or we miss what God has for us altogether because we won’t listen.  Did God tell us to do something and we put it off and then it no longer is of importance to us? God does not give us commands without purpose. It might be for someone else, it might be for our own benefit. Maybe he wants you to surrender something, forgive someone because it is building up a hardness in your heart which makes you no longer sensitive to Him. Maybe you're supposed to write, pray, sacrifice, serve, or share the gospel with someone but you don’t feel like it or want to do something else.  What happens to the person God was wanting you to touch or bless you with. Maybe you were to be used as an answer to someone’s prayer. Maybe you were going to be used to save someone’s life and show Christ’s love to them.  Maybe God was going to show you amazing things and bless you through it but you were busy with yourself or something else?

     Obedience is important. Obedience shows love and respect.  I expect my children to be obedient because that shows they honor, respect, and love me, but also to help me in what I need done in my home.  I want them to learn responsibility and teach them to become a functional adult.  When they do what I have asked it also blesses me and brings me joy. We should be the exact same way when it comes to God our Father. Just like my home the chores God assigns us is for his spiritual house, His kingdom.  When God tells us to do something we shouldn’t say we’ll do it later, like Jonah refusing to go to Nineveh like God asked him too (The book of Jonah). That didn’t work out well for him. He had a “whale” of a time.   God has to be our priority. Just like Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:8 when God asked who would go for Him, Isaiah said, “Here I am, send me!” Our hearts need to get off of ourselves and onto God.  Our priorities and attitudes need to change.  How will we ever know what God has planned or wants to reveal to us or heal us from something if we refuse to do what he asks of us when he tells us to do something.  It should be done out of love and not resentment or ritual. We should also do everything God has asked us to do to the best of our ability.  We should never put in half effort in what God has asked us to do.  Serving and loving God should not be a chore either but an act of worship, love, and obedience.  God can always choose someone else, but he wants to use you because he wants you to get something in return too.  There is a reason God asks us to do something. We might not see the reason until we enter eternity. If God asks you to do something it must be important to him and if it’s important to him it should be important to you. Don’t miss out on what God has for you when He asks something of you.