Hey Readerβ
Why do we cringe when we hear the word "obey"?
Okay, I have to tell you what happened this week.
We do quiet time in the afternoons. The idea is that Finnegan naps, Maximus rests in his room, and I get β maybe 30 minutes? β to actually sit down and get some work done. That is the idea.
The reality is that Max wants to be with me every single second of every single day. So "quiet time" has basically become me on my bed, laptop open, doing work next to him while he watches something. We make it work.
Here's something I figured out recently though β he thinks live action anything is scary. Like, actual people on a screen? Terrifying. So I discovered that if I put my show on mute, he'll mostly ignore it for about 20 minutes. Good enough.
This week I had Crossroads on. Yes. The 2002 Britney Spears movie. So scary, right? π
So I'm sitting there working, and the bedroom door creaks open β just a crack.
A little hand slides a rainbow timer through the gap. The door shuts.
And I hear his voice: "When dis go off, you turn off TV."
Boy gave me 15 minutes.
I just sat there for a second. I could have turned it into a whole lesson. About quiet time rules. About how he was supposed to stay in his room. About boundaries and work time and all of that.
But, for my autistic 4-year-old, this was a BIG moment. Instead of melting down, instead of just pushing his way in, he came up with a solution. He communicated it. He used a tool WE use in our home and handed it to ME.
So when that timer went off?
I turned off the TV. We spent the rest of the afternoon together while his brother napped.
And I haven't stopped thinking about it since.
Because that word started rolling around in my head β obedience. You hear it and something in you clenches up a little, right? πBecause we've been taught to hear it as control. As submission. As someone with more power telling you to sit down and stop asking questions.
But that's not what happened in my room this week.
Max handed me that timer because he loves me. He wasn't trying to take something from me β he was trying to give us both something. And I followed his lead. Not because I had to. Because I could see what mattered more.
And I wonder if that's the part we've been missing when it comes to God and obedience.
He's not sliding rules under the door to control us. He's handing us a timer because He already sees what we need β what we're holding onto, what's keeping us from the relationship that matters most. Obedience to Him doesn't have to mean bracing yourself or acting out of fear. It can just look like turning off the TV. Choosing what matters more. Trusting that the One handing you the timer actually loves you.
Have a wonderful weekend. π
P.S. β If you want to keep connecting in faith-filled sisterhood, come join us in the free Facebook Group β Sβpiritual Warfare to Faith-Filled Mom. We'd love to have you.
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