A Stubborn Streak

I am told that stubborness runs in our family, but of course I don't think I was in line when that particular gene was being passed out-was I?? I know I am stubborn, but of course I am also a control freak so I think that the two balance themselves out-most of the time ;) I have two children and they both have that stubborn streak, now if only I could harness that power for good instead of evil.... Just kidding, neither one of them are very evil-just stubborn! I remember one time my daughter had said a bad word and I told her that if she said it again that I was going to put soap in her mouth. She looked me right in the eye and said the bad word again, but this time with an "I dare you" attitude! I got the bar of soap and made her hold it in her mouth. She did not bat an eye or even shed one tear. She just sat there and willed herself to not show any emotion. That is stubborn! I began thinking about how sometimes it is good to be stubborn. If you are being stubborn in a choice against something that you know is not what God would want you to do, or if you are being stubborn about holding strong to your beliefs and your faith. It can also be a bad thing to be stubborn and harden your heart against God and His word. There are those who know nothing and then there are those who think that they know everything! Maybe you know someone that you have tried to talk to about a topic, but they already have their opinion set and their mind made up and they will not budge! There are some people that feel that way about the church and even God. If someone has had an experience in the church that left a bad impression on them, they may associate that with everything realated to God and the church-even if it is a completely different scenario or if several years have passed by. God wants us to be strong in our conviction and our faith, but not stubborn. We have to be able to soften our hearts so that his word can be placed inside of us and we can then keep it close to us. In Romans 2:5-6 it says; "But you are stubborn and refuse to change, so you are making your own punishment even greater on the day he shows his anger. On that day everyone will see God's right judgements. God will reward or punish every person for what that person has done." It doesn't say that you will be rewarded or punished according to what others have done to you, or what your parents have done to you, or even what a church or a religious orginization has done to you. It says "what that person(you) has done!" If you are living a life of part-time conviction to God, then it is time to go full-time for Christ! God doesn't want some of our heart-He wants it all! If being stubborn is something that you are proud of, then I want you to ask yourself, "Would God be proud of my stubborness?" If you are going to dare Him or become defiant then be ready for a punishment rather than a reward. God loves His children, all of them. He wants to reward us, not punish us. But just know that He is not afraid to use the proverbial "bar of soap" to cleanse our lives of the kind of stubborness that can keep us away from drawing closer to Him. Blessings-Nicole