Obedience Equals Happiness

It’s a strange to think that obedience can bring about happiness, but for children, that’s the case. The most obedient children are also, not coincidentally, the happiest children, the more content children, the more relaxed children. That’s not to say that said children are obedient all of the time—that would be unrealistic. But it does mean that most of the time, these children are obeying their parents.

Disobedient children are, in a word, brats. Spoiled, unhappy, demanding and insolent brats. They do what they want, when they want it—and still, they are not happy. They are rudderless upon the sea of discontentment. They are the victims of their own whims. They are miserable and go through life making everyone around them just as wretched as they are.

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Why are obedient children happier than their non-obedient peers? For the simple reason that they know what to expect and don’t have to spend untold time and energy ferreting out the boundaries of their world. Their parents say what they mean and mean what they say, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of right and wrong for their kids.

Obedient children also know they are loved, that their parents care enough to correct wayward behavior (although the kids wouldn’t express it quite like that). Obedient children rest easier, knowing that they are not in charge of the family—that their parents are doing the heavy lifting and making the tough decisions. Obedient children are serving their Heavenly Father in a way that is pleasing to Him.

By teaching our children obedience, we are giving them a valuable gift, one that God requires of us as parents to bestow upon our offspring. If children are commanded to obey their parents in the Lord, then the flip side is applicable—that we as parents are to expect such obedience from our children and to train them to respect and obey us, and ultimately, God.

Yes, teaching and expecting obedience takes effort. It takes energy and vigilance and discipline and, at times, tough love. It takes patience and prayer and perseverance and grace and mercy. By making obedience part of our goal as parents—not the end goal in and of itself, but as part of our overall parenting philosophy—we are doing our children a great service and leading them closer to the kingdom of God.

Until next time,

Sarah