Obedience is the Path to Freedom

I have been thinking a lot about obedience and what it truly means. Why do we need to be obedient? Why do we need to follow a certain rule that doesn't even make sense? We all come up with these questions every now and then. I read a talk by James E. Faust titled, "Obedience: The Path to Freedom" and it answered those questions that I have had once before and still struggling with sometimes. But we need to be obedient to be freed from the struggles and challenges that we face. Our obedience to the commandments is an expression of our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Savior said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He later declared: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).

In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father presided over a great Council in Heaven. There we learned of His plan for our salvation, which included a time of testing on the earth: “We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:24-25). One reason we are here on the earth is to show our willingness to obey Heavenly Father's commandments.
Many people feel that the commandments are burdensome and that they limit freedom and personal growth. But the Savior taught that true freedom comes only from following Him: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). God gives commandments for our benefit. They are loving instructions for our happiness and for our physical and spiritual well-being. I love the commandments and the mission rules. It has changed me to who I am today.

James E. Faust shares a great lesson he learned on his mission. He says, "Obedience leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated...Being bridled, or yielding obediently to restraint, is necessary for our personal growth and progression. Now, brethren, another element of freedom is trust. Almost 60 years ago, when I was going on my first mission, President McKay taught us missionaries a great truth. Without a word, he walked over to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote, “It is better to be trusted than to be loved.” I have pondered that statement and have seen some fine examples of it." Trust is to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something. In spiritual matters, trust includes relying on God and his Spirit. Elder Faust continues to share a great example from the scriptures. "Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, was sold into slavery in Egypt. Because of treachery in the house of Potiphar, Joseph went to prison. Pharaoh had two troubling dreams. Hearing of Joseph’s discernment from the captain of the prison guard, he sent for him to interpret the dreams. Joseph told him, through inspiration, that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh not only recognized this true interpretation, but he trusted Joseph and appointed him to be second only to Pharaoh in power. The years passed and the famine came. In time Joseph rescued all of his brothers and his father from starvation. (Gen. 37; Gen. 39–42) Because he earned the implicit trust of those who were over him, Joseph enjoyed a great amount of freedom. Like Joseph, you too can be trusted by others, but trust must be earned."
In our own finite way, we too can learn obedience even as Christ did. As young children we learn respect for authority as we obey our parents, thus earning their trust. When obedience becomes our goal, it is no longer an irritation; instead of a stumbling block, it becomes a building block. Obedience brings peace in decision making. If we have firmly made up our minds to follow the commandments, we will not have to re-decide which path to take when temptation comes our way. That is how obedience brings spiritual safety. Elder Boyd K. Packer once said:

"Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to him the one thing, the one gift that he would never take. Think of giving him that one thing that he would never wrest from you...
Obedience--that which God will never take by force--he will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of-- the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be; at least a thousand-fold more than we offer him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience...
We should put ourselves in a position before our Father in heaven and say, individually, "I do not want to do what I want to do. I want to do what thou wouldst have me do." Suddenly, like any father, the Lord could say, "Well, there is one more of my children almost free from the need of constant supervision."

I know that freedom and liberty are precious gifts that come to us when we are obedient to the laws of God and the whisperings of the Spirit. The fences which we must stay within are the principles of revealed truth. Obedience to them makes us truly free to reach the potential and the glory which our Heavenly Father has in store for us. I know that as we strive to be more obedient we can become free and be the person our Heavenly Father wants us to be. Louis Nizer a Jewish-American lawyer once said, "What we are is God's gift to us; what we become is our gift to God." It is my prayer that we will continue to be obedient unto our Father in Heaven. And through our obedience we can become His precious gift. I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ and by being obedient to the Lord, we are freed from all the obstacles, challenges, and even the traps of our enemy!