The Scent of Obedience

If you had to identify a scent to the word "obedience," what would the scent be?  Ok, I know that is an odd question, but sometimes it helps to stretch our imaginations a bit when it comes to words like obedience, words and perspectives that bring with them so much baggage. 

Well my preparation for Sunday's sermon on the passage from 1 John 5:1-7 has pressed me outside my comfort zones of thought.  1 John 5:1-7 is about obedience, learning to love God by keeping his commandments,  carrying out what God asks. These commands, the writer says, are not burdensome.
"Not burdensome!?"  Doesn't smell like the scent of obedience I am most familiar with.

I have grown up on a diet of obedience governed by Webster Dictionary's definition for obey: to comply with the orders of; to yield submission to; to be ruled by.  Ah, the scent of domination and the smell of oppression.  Toe the line or sit down.  When I say "jump!", you ask, "How high?"

Needless to say the very idea of obedience, raises red flags in our minds and hearts.  Too bad.  For as someone has said, "You can have obedience without faith; but you can't have faith without obedience."
Maybe one of the reasons faith communities struggle in our culture is that the core of faith calls for obedience and we treat the very idea with resistance and avoidance.  We perceive obedience as a threat to freedom and a free exercise of will. (How we perceive freedom is also a topic for future consideration)

Yet from a biblical perspective obedience means "to listen".  To listen, to pay attention to, to give our attention to someone or something.  The biblical command to Israel was "Hear, O Israel..."
 ( Deuteronomy 6)

The scent of obedience as listening, giving attention to God through keeping the commands to love God and others is a fresh breeze and an invigorating smell.  Could I possibly be most free when I am choosing to live a life that listens for God as I love God and neighbor?

Try this scent.  It comes from Henri Nouwen's book, Letters to Marc about Jesus:
      What counts is being attentive at all times to the voice of God's love inviting us to obey,
      that is, to make a generous response. (pg.83)

I think my journey is going to be a bit different as I ponder these fresh scents of obedience in carrying out God's commands.  What about you?