"Because I said So"

Ever have a parent or teacher ask you or tell you to do something and their reasoning for why is "Because I said so!!"? Something like- "please be home by 10", "clean the bathroom" or "go outside and help your sister". Then of course we always would ask "Awwww why?" and the response would be "Because I said so!" either being yelled or just said with a simple shrug of the shoulders as though parents had absolute authority over every single thing we did. Who would have thought!

I remember mouthing back to me mom "Because isn't even a reason." or "I'm not doing anything unless you tell me why I need to." Oh was I fresh. Sometimes, I was justified in asking why. Other times, my mom was justified in giving her reason of "Because I said so." and answering back to my questions with "I don't need a reason-- just do it."

How many of you are thinking back to those days and laughing? Or perhaps still holding a grudge for some of those things you had to do? ;)

As some of you may know, I love children and was a teacher at a daycare for 3 years and now babysit for a few different families. I can still remember the first time I pulled out the "Because I said so" card. Johnny Pasko, a 5 year old in my class was being awfully fresh during a circle time one day when I asked him to please get up and sit in a chair away from the class. He got in my face and said "Whyy Miss Chelsea?" I tried to explain to him that he was disrupting the story and the songs and that he needed to take some time away from the group and he returned that with a, "But they think it's funny Miss Chelsea, Tori was laughing at me before. So why do I need to go sit down?" Frustrated, but humored at the same time that I was letting this little boy dance around me in circles, I quickly spit out, "You need to go sit down because I said so." I can also remember instantly wanting to cover my mouth and gasp, "Chels!! When you were young you'd swore you would never use that because mom did and you hated it!"

Isn't it great how as we become older we really do say and do a lot of the things to children we promised ourselves we wouldn't because when our parents did they just seemed so unfair.

"Because I said so."

In yesterday's message at SPCC, I realized just how valid this phrase can be. I have been trying to get in the word more often lately and through this, conversations with those I have fellowship with and the messages at St. Pauls, I have a pretty good idea of the things that I should and should not be doing. Though the focus at SPCC is not primarily the "don'ts" and rather concentrates on the "go for it's!" and the "you can do it's!", it is important to remember what God has taught us through His word.

There have been a few concepts that have left me struggling with the question. "Whyyy? This doesn't make much sense right now." But the message yesterday gave just the right answer. Why should we listen to all that God has told us and is telling us? Because He said so and he is working in ways that we won't understand until long after big things happen, if we are lucky enough to open our eyes to fully see them later. He is doing things for us everyday in our lives in return for our obedience to Him.

So even if I don't fully understand why, or I don't understand why at all, God is asking me to do something, I will try my best to just do it anyway; wholeheartedly and with no doubts that He won't come through for me the way He has been.

Sometimes "Because I said so" is the only explanation there is-- if the real reason is revealed, we may never take those first steps for the fear of failure, embarassment, discouragement or being overwhelmed or challenged. With a complete explanation we may just look at it and say, "Ummm, no thanks- not for me." But let's leap- let's just do it, because He says so.