Happy is the one who Obeys, Friendship & Purpose

Thomas A Kempis says, "it is a great thing to be in obedience." 

This may seem a rather odd statement... normally when we think about what makes us happy, it is when we get what we want. It could be an ice cream, or a dream job, or a fantastic spouse. 

What is Thomas getting at in saying, "it is a great thing to be in obedience." What could it mean for us today?

When we hear the word obedience, sometimes we may hear it as an oppressive word. As a word that takes away our freedom. But if we are to dig a bit deeper we find the whether obedience is a great thing or not depends on who or what we are obeying. For example, a scientist by obeying rules of science creates a medicine which helps many people to be healed. Obedience is a good thing, depending on who we obey because it gives us a bigger purpose to live into.

When we do not obey a higher principle, we obey our own self. Thomas goes on to say, "if we rely more no our own reasoning and effort than on obedience to Jesus Christ, it will be long before we are truly enlightened."

Different people look at the idea of enlightenment differently... for example in Buddhism to be enlightened is to realize that all the world is maya (an illusion), that nirvana is the ultimate truth. But Thomas in this statement says to be truly enlightened is to be in obedience to Christ.

What happens when we obey Christ?

In John 15, Jesus goes on to say 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends.

When we obey the way of Christ, we are invited into friendship with God for the purpose of God's business, which is creating a kingdom of love and peace through the way of Christlike self-giving love.

When we obey Christ, we are taken out of our own petty little selfish purposes into the purposes of God. God does not want us to obey Him because he needs obedience, but because it is an invitation into friendship, and, our obedience to the way of Christ creates a world of love of love and peace.

Thomas says in obedience to Christ, we will be "inflamed with His love, and rise above the narrow limits of human reason." Human reason makes us to look at life often from a self-centered way. A truly enlightened person is one who loves other in the selfless way that Christ loves. We see this distinction clearly in the Harry Potter stories.

In the Harry Potter Stories, Voldemort is trying to use knowledge to gain more power over people around him. He uses this knowledge to create horcruxes so that he can live on for ever. On the other hand, a key part of Dumbledore's training of Harry Potter was to get Harry Potter to become a Christ-figure who will give his life to people around them.  In John 15:13 Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." This what Jesus did on the cross.

 This is where Harry Potter comes to as well, his willingness to sacrifice himself for his friends, creates a place of love and peace.

When we obey our own selfish desires, we end up creating a world of competition and violence, red in tooth and claw. On the other hand, Obedience to the way of self-less love of Christ is a great thing if we value our friendship with Jesus and we want to transcend our selfish desires and participation in creating a kingdom of love and peace through Christlike selfgiving way of love.