Barnyard Lessons on Obedience And Why Obeying Is Better Than Sacrifice

**He called me at 9:15** am asking for his brother's phone number. "**We're having some trouble with the calf**" he said. I held my tongue, gave him Brett's phone number, and sighed in my spirit.* I'll talk to him about disobeying later,* I thought. **He's learning the hard way why obeying is better**.** **

I was two hours away traveling to a speaking engagement and my husband was out of town. **Junior had instructions** from me to walk his 4-H calf before his older brother left for work at 9:00. Someone needed to be around **to help him if something went wrong.** The two calves were **strong and unruly** and had already given my husband fits. I gave Junior the **instructions for his safety.**

But he's a capable farm boy. **He thought he could handle things okay.**

**9:15 said different.**

When I got home later in the day, **I heard about the fiasco.** As Junior and a friend were walking the calves, one of the calves took off, taking one of the boys for a tumble until the calf was let go. Then the calf ran in the soybean field.

**Chasing an obstinate 400+ pound steer isn't an easy** feat for two boys in an open field.

Help eventually came. The calves were chased back into their calf pen and** the boys had a few scraps for battle wounds.**

***"I'll never tell you to do something for some arbitrary reason,"*** I told Junior later in the day after hearing what happened. "There are reasons why obeying is better. **It involves safety and what's best for you."**

[](https://brendayoder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MP900448515.jpg)

He learned **there's safety in obeying instruction.**

***"To obey is better than sacrifice." - 1 Samuel 15:22**.*

This incident reminds of **1 Samuel 15**. God told Saul to kill everything in a battle against the Amalekites. Saul did...except what he thought was okay to keep....not really a big deal.

Like Junior,** Saul chose to do his own thing against God's instructions**. I'm a lot like Junior and Saul. Whether it's exerting independence, impatience, not understanding God's motives, or plain rebellion,** when I disobey God in the moment, I walk outside of His perfect will that provides safety, security and best intentions for my life. **

Saul stepped out of God's will with arrogance and pride and lost an opportunity to serve God as the chosen and honored king of His people. **He carried out his calling on his terms, not God's. **Do you do that?

*"For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry." - 1 Samuel 15:23*

**When**** we disobey God, we act out of rebellion and arrogance.**

***How many times do you seek God's will less and less because you do well on your own?*** That's what Saul did. [](https://brendayoder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MP900442187-1.jpg)He was happy at **how well he carrying out God's commands**. He was so proud he kept the best to show God {and others}. He even built a monument **in his own honor. **And he lost the opportunity to be king.

When we **step outside of God's commands for us** in small moments, we not only **side-step His perfect plan** for us, but we **sow seeds of arrogance, independence and rebellion**.

Rebellion is like witchcraft and arrogance is like worshiping other gods (1 Samuel 15:23). **God takes these things seriously.**

When we allow God to **check the motives of our heart**, He reveals where **obedience is lacking** or **where arrogance and independence is taking root**. It looks different for each of us. All of our children display disobedience in difference ways. In one it might look like **rebellion**, another like **independence**, yet another like **passive disobedience** or a **quiet rebellion**. Each are **equally harmful for their character** development and** in their relationship with God**.

You and I are no different. **God doesn't give us arbitrary commands**. Each instruction is filled with **love, protection, and good-will** just like my 9:00 instruction was for Junior. **We can actively or passively disobey** and fall out of God' perfect will for us.

I've learned the hard way **God's ways are better than my ways**. Obeying is better. I've learned I'd rather **obey in blind faith** than walk in **my own independence** that seems better in the moment.

**I've been drug around the barnyard too many times.**

*How about you*? I encourage you to **read 1 Samuel 15** and **listen to the words between Samuel, Saul, and God**. If you're like me, you'll hear a lot of yourself in the conversation.

**In response, seek Him. Then listen. And obey.**

*What lessons have you learned in obedience or disobedience? I'd love to hear your stories, too!*