Today begins with a challenge…There are many words that are so common to us, words that we use all of the time, words that we are comfortable with, words that I think have meanings far beyond what we think them to be.  For example, the word obedience.  Obedience has come to have somewhat of a negative meaning, especially when speaking of marriage vows.  Of course we still want our children to ‘obey’ but we adults shutter when we think of promising to obey.  After all, we are free, aren’t we?  And there’s another word, freedom.  Is freedom really being able to do whatever I want whenever I want?  Sounds to me like that is not freedom at all, it is being a slave to one’s wants and passions.

I think that my favorite one is judgement.  We know right from wrong, even sometimes make up our own rules, we define it.  And, when someone steps outside of our neat little box, we judge them.  One more is surrender.  Surrender?  Why that is surely a sign of weakness…..or is it?

When you look to the Bible, the source of all true Wisdom, the words obedience, freedom, judgement and surrender take on an entirely new meaning.  Obedience and surrender bring about true freedom…..and God’s judgments and decisions rock our safe little boxes. 

Perhaps today is a good day to spend some quiet time rethinking our definitions of these words.  Perhaps today it’s time to ‘step out of our boxes’.