Being a Rule Follower

I had an ah-ha moment at T-ball the other night. NO - I was not suddenly enlightened because I was hit on the head by a T-ball... but I was talking about the summer reading program at the library. Each child receives a journal and after 20 minutes of reading they fill in a circle. After doing this 20 times they get a prize.

Well, maybe because we started this when they were so young - they didn't understand the rules, so I just let them color in the sheet. I "knew" I read to them every night for at least 20 minutes. I even entertained the idea of playing by the rules this time, but Fletch was so excited to get his journal and had colored it all in before I explained the rules. Maybe it seemed like too much work to remember to color it in every, single night. Whatever the reason - I have never played by the rules. So I looked at this other mom, who I TOTALLY admire for many reasons (one of which she is one of the most amazing mountain bikers around - but that doesn't have anything to do with this story!) and I said - "Oh, you are a rule follower!"

She said, "Of course I am a big rule follower." And then all the other mom's said they were rule followers, too... I was not only a minority - I was the only one whose natural impulse is to break rules.

Now I don't want to be bad - but maybe because I grew up in Texas (where many people have an independent spirit) but I am a natural rule breaker. If there is a path, I would rather walk somewhere else. If there is a fence, I want to climb it. If someone tells me no, I want to do it. If there is a deadline, I want to push it back. Nothing really illegal - but to me the adventure of doing something usually outweighed the rule. I have no doubt that Fletcher gets some of his "impulses" from me - and not Chris (who is also a rule follower).

In Bible study a woman asked, "Do you really think Jesus needed to be so specific about how he wanted us to act. Shouldn't we just know that we should do the right thing?"

I had to disagree. Fletcher (the rule breaker) does not always want to be naughty - he just has the big part of himself that wants to do what he want to do when he wants to do it. Why put on clothes in the morning, when it just slows him down from playing Legos? Why come to dinner, when it is such a beautiful day and it feels so great to be riding your bike with friends down by the really neat creek (that he is not suppose to be at).

Griffin is the family rule follower. Even before I open my eyes, Griffin is beside my bed saying, "Good morning Mommy, can I go ahead and get my clothes on." When I ask Griffin to do a chore he usually says, "I am going to do it right away so I can go play." He has taken to heart my saying, "Do what you got to do so you can do what you want to do."

So here they are - same family, totally different personalities. One learns things the hard way - one just does the right thing instinctively. One I just adore, but I can't understand why he just doesn't obey. The other I adore, also, and it brings me so much joy when he obeys the first time or chooses to do the right thing. So where does this bring me? To a perfect example of how I usually know what is the right thing to do - I know what God desires me to do - and I want to do my own thing. Do I take to heart the lessons I teach my own kids about obeying and wouldn't it be great to bring God joy just by choosing to do the right thing all the time.

So I am playing with the idea of trying to be a rule follower for a WHOLE month. That is right - do all those things everyone knows they should do - but don't. Take vitamins, exercise, go to bed on time (instead of staying up late blogging), spend time daily focusing on spiritual growth, fess up to the librarians about my reading program sham, stick to my budget... and so on. Hmmm, sounds exhausting! Or maybe I am just a late bloomer in the rule following arena.

But for a chance to bring a smile to God's face, by doing things that are the right thing to do any way - well maybe it would be worth it!