Onions and Obedience

I bought a couple of sweet onions last week. I chose carefully. Made sure that they were firm and had no soft spots. They looked healthy. They would make the best salsa and slice up nicely on a grilled burger. But, when I cut into the first one I was really surprised. A good ¼” of layers were brown and mushy. The heart was good and the outside was good, but I had to throw away a good bit of the inside. Such a disappointment!

I got to thinking, as I was dissecting the disappointing onion, how much that vegetable was like myself and other God followers. At the core of our being, we are good. We have been made righteous by the grace of God through Jesus. We want to be an obedient lamb following the Good Shepherd. And that is also what the world may see as they examine us and see what is on the outside. Our neighbors see us going to church every Sunday… almost. We are engaged in a Bible reading plan on our smart phones. We are kind…mostly. We put money in the offering plate. We don’t have any serious vices.

Then there is that layer that we think we have hidden from the world. That layer of rot that we just can’t seem to get rid of. Maybe it is an unforgiving spirit…judgmental attitude… greed… jealousy… laziness… insincerity… that lie that is buried in those layers, safe from the eyes of the world. Whatever it is, it will be revealed. There is no possible way to keep it hidden. The rot tends to spread and before long, the entire onion is bad and there is no hiding a rotten onion! We may hide it from others for quite a while, but God is all seeing and He knows those layers in your heart and mind that are rotten and life-threatening to you.

James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that God is a jealous God and wants our total surrender and submission. He wants the whole onion, so to speak. God is not that green-eyed monster that we think of when we think of jealousy. He is the One who knows our story even before it is played out. He is the one that holds our purpose in His hand, like a blueprint telling the way we should go. He is the one who made us with that purpose in mind. He is All Knowing, therefore, He has the most righteous reason for desiring our surrender. He alone can direct our steps in the proper manner. He alone can give us direction and the wisdom we need to fulfill the plan He has for us. That seemingly small thing hiding inside of us will keep us from living up to the potential He planted within us.

Can you identify the rotten layer that is keep you at risk of the unfortunate outcome of less than complete surrender? Is there bitterness inside? Is there anger and impatience? How about feelings of insecurity and anxiety? Is a lack of self-control eating at you? Ask God to reveal your rotten layers and He will do it! He is the Healer and desires your heart and mind to be healed of anything that is getting in the way of your success as a follower, as a spouse, a student, a parent, an employee or employer. He can restore you to what He made you to be and guide you in fulfilling the plan He made for you even before you were born.

Maybe it’s time to take Him at His word and be serious about being faithful to God and Him alone. Maybe it is time for you to surrender all your layers to Him and allow His healing to take place so you can follow without looking back, submitting wholly to His will.

So obey God.

Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you.

⁸ Come near to God, and he will come near to you.

Wash your hands, you sinners.

Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds.

Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep.

Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness.

Be humble in front of the Lord. And he will lift you up.

James 4:7-10 (NIRV)