I think a lot about rules and law these days.

Why? I have a preschooler and a toddler in the house.

To them, law is restrictive, constraining, unpleasant.

As I consider how to teach them to obey, I am, once again, brought up short and shamed by the deep places inside of me.

The deep places that agree with my preschooler and my toddler.

I, too, see rules as unpleasant. I sometimes feel constrained by the laws of God.

I have thought about this before, the idea that living under God’s authority gives me the freedom to be truly myself, to be who God created me to be.

Yet I still disobey. I still think of myself as better than others. I still yell in anger at those I love. I still struggle with wanting to spend all day reading rather than taking care of my responsibilities.

Why is this so difficult? Why do I view God’s laws as restrictive?

I search God’s Words as I am searching my own heart, and I read David’s words in the Psalms:

My soul is consumed with longing for Your laws at all times.

The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.

When I am honest with myself, my difficulty is that I don’t truly believe God. I don’t believe that His way is better, that obeying Him will bring me happiness.

I continually choose my own way and am always disappointed.

While I contemplate this striving, I hear an interview with Gerald McDermott on my Mars Hill Audio Journal, discussing these very ideas, discussing the beauty of law.

McDermott is discussing Jonathan Edwards’ views on God’s laws when he speaks about the beauty of the Triune God who loves His human creation with deep father love, Who wants us to be able to participate in His Being (which is, in itself, astounding and worthy of much more searching and study and writing!). The way that we do this, the way that we are able to participate in the Being of this Triune God is to live the way that God lives.

The way that we do that? We live the way that God lives when we live by His laws, by His teachings, in His ways.

This turns everything upside down and over around on its head. Are you as astonished as I am?

I can live the way that God lives.

If God has given us His law so that we can live like Him, so that we can participate in His Being, then I can no longer view that law as unpleasant or constraining. God is simply giving us the ways that will bring us the deepest, most lasting sort of happiness. God’s law is beautiful!

God gave them other rules…The rules showed God’s people how to live, and how to be close to Him, and how to be happy. They showed how life worked best. ~ The Jesus Storybook Bible

Teach me, Abba, how to obey. Teach me to believe that Your law is beautiful, that living in Your ways will bring me happiness and will help me to be more fully myself.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.