Have you taken that class yet?
I'm currently going through the class of Obedience 101.
It's a challenging class because it requires application, not just knowledge of the subject. This is the beginning of a series of classes on obedience—actually, I don't even know how many there are. I think the curriculum changes constantly because of my life circumstances—it's called "fluid"—when things change. So I guess this is one of those "fluid subjects"! You know about fluidity—being able to change and adapt to different situations, even when things are out of your control. Aaahhhh . . . control . . . why does it always have to come back to that?!?!? That's my hot button!
Yes, I've been enrolled in this class for a while. Actually, I dropped it several times because it got too hard. Once, I dropped it because it wasn't convenient for my schedule. Another time, I didn't want to do one of the assignments. I finally realized I needed to just suck it up and continue, because I wouldn't be allowed to take other classes I'd enjoy more until I get through this one. I'm told it's a requirement.
Requirements—there's another hot button. They're kinda like rules. Don't you just hate rules? They go against the grain of us who think we know a better way of doing something. We wonder why we have to adhere to someone else's ideas of what's required. How can they know my life? How can they know my situation? How can they know what I'm going to need?
Truthfully, I was tempted to drop this obedience class again recently—but then I got to know the teacher. Seems he really knows his stuff! He teaches with such passion and understanding. He's also very creative with his teaching methods—they're not at all traditional. Yes, I may continue this time because I have a better teacher than before. You see, the other times I took the course, I had to figure everything out on my own. That teacher never offered me any real help. The teacher actually encouraged me to skip some steps because I didn't need them. I think the teacher may even have misled me into thinking I could make up my own curriculum! Let me see . . . What was that teacher's name? Oh yeah, that teacher's last name was Self—or something like that.
Anyway, it makes a difference when you have a good teacher. This one is able to go at my pace (no contamination for not getting the lesson right the first time). He has even taken the time to help me understand how important trust is when it comes to obedience. I'm told that if you trust someone, it's much easier to obey. If you know they are entirely familiar with your life and what you personally need, there can be trust. Trust is what's required in order to obey. That may be why it's taking me so long to get through this course—I'm having to learn to trust.
Normally, I'd fight against someone getting close enough to me to learn about my particular situation - you know, close enough to tell me what to do! But this teacher... is different. He cares. He somehow knows me better than I know myself. He's asking me to trust him.
Yes, it's easier to obey when there's trust.
