"Stinkies are Hard Mommy!"

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5: 16-18

The apostle Paul was my kind of guy.  He was a straight shooter and got right to the point.  The instructions he wrote to the church in Thessalonica were simple: 1) Rejoice always; 2) Pray without ceasing; 3) In everything give thanks.   It sounds so easy, but we make it so hard for ourselves to follow these simple commands.

It reminds me of potty training.  I have a very intelligent toddler who knows what he's supposed to do on the toilet.  But for some reason, he refuses to use the potty and instead cries almost every time I have to change a stinky diaper.  He tells me every time that "stinkies are hard mommy!"  And every time, I tell him that if he would just use the toilet he wouldn't get diaper rash and he wouldn't need me to change his stinky diapers.

I wonder how often God says, "if you would only follow the simple commands I give you, then your life would be so much easier."  The commands are simple.  Rejoice, pray and give thanks.  For some reason, I think we too often wear the Christian pull-ups and have to deal with the stinkies because we won't obey.  It's time to follow the simple commands and embrace the kind of life that God wants us to have.