This obedience thing has its challenges, but it is generally easier than you might think. It’s true that there are times when I would prefer to have my own way, but I’ve never had my world completely shaken by obedience.
Everyone has to obey things they would prefer not to. I’m thinking of the obedience couples owe each other, or that children owe their parents, workers owe their employers, students their teachers, citizens their communities, and so forth. There is enough obeying in life for all of us to have a share.
For me as a religious, however, obedience is my life. The consecration I made is expressed through the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. The vow of obedience is the most obvious part of the consecration. It is the ‘yes’ to God’s invitation, the daily commitment to my vocation that defines my life in Christ. It’s the ‘I do’ of religious life, the source of our happily-ever-after.
