The Character of Obedience

Character Leadership - The Character of Obedience

“There is no shame in taking orders from those who themselves have learned to obey.” – William Edward Forster

   

Definition:   Doing, or willing to do, what you have been told to do by someone in authority.

Disobedience, Defiance, and Rebellion are the opposites of obedience. With these negative attitudes, we will usually only just do our own thing. We will have no respect for authority; we will do as we please, thus placing us on a path of chaos, strife, and destruction. We will have no desire to do the right thing outside of obligation. We will miss out on true intimacy, destroy relationships, hinder growth in ourselves and others and miss out on maturity of ourselves.  
There is a difference between blind obedience and obeying authorities. Lawful obedience is good practice but blind obedience must be avoided because we do not obey to do the wrong things. 
Obedience is also the willingness to cooperate with our authority and with others in their directions and plans. It is working together to further things that are positive as a community together. We have to sacrifice our will and pride, for these things result in separation and strife. Whereas, when we work together cohesively, we bring and build community and relationships.

Reflection:

Ask yourself; “Have I been an obedient person?” A cheerful attitude makes tasks simpler, gives support to the speaker and tells others that we trust the authorities to care and protect us. To obey grudgingly is to show a lack of understanding of the instruction. We can always seek a compromise or a clarification with the decision-maker if we have doubts about the instruction. This builds confidence and mutual respect.

As Character leaders, we must extend ourselves to other people with obedience and what flows out of obedience are provision from our authorities and wise counsel from them. Accepting a project and completing it according to instruction is a sign that we are responsible and obedient. Sometimes when we are given tasks from different people and they conflict, we should also exercise responsibility by seeking clarification from both in order to remove the conflict. Also, we should all “go the extra mile” and do beyond what is required of us. This is obedience at the highest level, which earns trust, respect, and honor and eventually projects us into a position of influence.