Leilani's Response
by Lieutenant Olivia
Munn
Leilani is a grandmother, but you would never guess it because
she looks 30.
Actually, I’m pretty sure she isn’t much older than 30.
She has the most beautiful grandchildren, and they are
fixtures at our corps – they are the kind of kids who are here
Sunday through Friday, and they would be here Saturday if we
let them.
Leilani first came to the corps because her 5-year-old
grandson invited her.
“How come you make us go to church but you never go?!”
She recently shared that she’s not sure if she’s a real
Christian. Not many people are willing to admit something so
openly in the middle of a Bible study and I appreciated her
honesty.
In Sunday school I asked, “How can we stay obedient to the
Lord amidst temptation?” and Leilani’s response floored me.
“Excuse me, Lt?
Can I answer? I just find that, for me, the more I read the
Bible, the more I love God.
And then the more I love God, the more I want to do
what He says, just because I love Him.”
Leilani is a real Christian. She’s discovering the beauty of
holiness: that obedience flows from intimacy, not from
obligation.
Imagine if your spouse wrote you a list of chores that you had
to accomplish on a daily basis: bring him breakfast in bed,
iron his shirts, wash his car, and rub his feet at the end of
the day. You would
end up bitter and he would end up with a spouse who is
emotionally distant.
Imagine instead if your spouse was the most wonderful person
to spend time with.
He loved you more than he loved himself, and he
listened to your every concern and feeling.
He cared for others, and poured out his life in
ministry and service. You would naturally want to be kind to
him, and you might find yourself doing the same things that
were on the daily chore list, but not because you were forced
to. You would be cared for and passionate, and he would be
cared for and passionate.
Leilani’s relationship with God is like this. She is starting
to live a life of holiness and obedience because she is
starting to fall in love with God. Her holiness is a response
to His beauty and His tenderness to her. Holiness is not
outward actions only, but it is the heart on fire that
motivates the actions. I want to respond like Leilani.
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