Have you ever prayed a prayer for God to challenge you in an area of your life you felt you were failing in? Afterwards, when God delivers on your prayer, and you’ve been shaken way out of your comfort zone, have you ever wished you hadn’t prayed so well for it? Metaphorically, I often ask God to “slap me around a little”, but I usually end up feeling like I got my jaw busted in response.

I joke, of course, but I love when this happens. Many times I pray for God to help me see where my misunderstandings and irrational beliefs are so that, by his grace, I can change my heart and believe what is right, and what is true. It’s a beautiful thing when your life changes accordingly. What I love most is that God’s laws aren’t irrelevant, arbitrary whims through which he exercises his power. In fact, quite the opposite is true – there are a million great reasons for every law God lays down so clearly for us through scripture, and he’ll gladly show you the reasons if you ask!

God did just that recently for me.

A particular challenge for me is my relationship with my boss. As people, she and I have no qualms with one another. She’s a Christian as well, and one of the most caring individuals I’ve ever met. But when it comes to work styles, we see things VERY differently.

Just by nature, our personalities conflict a lot. My boss is a very detailed, over-involved person who likes to get her nose in any and every task possible. Many of her direct reports refer to her as a “micro-manager” in that she doesn’t just tell you to do things; she tells you how she wants it done as well.

I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite. I couldn’t care less how people get things done as long as the big picture is filled in. For instance, I see 5+5, 2x5, 20/2, and 15-5 all as perfectly rational ways to get to 10. But if my boss asks me to get to 10, she’ll tell me which mathematical strategy to use.

For someone who is more of an overview thinker, this can be frustrating. I feel like my creativity and freedom are very stifled, almost as if I’m being treated like a child rather than an adult with a full-time job. So, my natural inclination is to ask “Why this way?” This, of course, puts unnecessary pressure on my boss. She doesn’t have to explain herself to me, and she doesn’t owe me any explanation. It’s my job to listen to her, but when I don’t understand her reasoning, a simple command isn’t good enough. So, my natural “adult” reaction is to color outside the lines and show her that even if I do things MY way, we’ll still get the same result...

Yes, clearly this is a wise behavior.

In case you’re bad at detecting sarcasm, I’m using it right now. A lot.

God’s been challenging me a lot in this rebellious attitude I have with micro-managers. So, without even so much as a half-hearted prayer for help, God opened my eyes to what was really going on with my attitude. This may seem somewhat comical, but I often have mental conversations with myself, as if I have a little cherub on one shoulder, and a demon on the other. For some reason, the cherub has the voice of Towelie from South Park. I have no idea why.

I think the conversation went something like this…

Cherub: You should have changed your voicemail like your boss asked you to.
Demon: Why? It’s not like it matters. People still know I’m not answering my phone.
Cherub: Maybe, but why did you refuse your boss’s orders? What are you trying to prove?
Demon: Uh, that things don’t have to be done EXACTLY as she asks as long as they get done. I didn’t see any problem come from it!
Cherub: The problem is that you’re not the one in charge. Your boss gave you a task to do, and you should do it without any undue questions or fussing.
Demon: But her way doesn’t make any sense! It’s so much simpler my way!
Cherub: That may be, but does that give you the right to question every order she gives you? Should she have to explain herself every time she talks to you in order to get you to simply obey her?
Demon: Well, no… I guess not…
Cherub: Exactly! When you demand an explanation from her every time she gives you an order, you’re trying to make HER answer to YOU! SHE’S the boss here – not you! Get over yourself!
Demon: [walks away with tail between legs, grumbling about sissy little wings]

There, you got a glimpse inside my head. If you never want to come back, I understand.

Anyway, that’s just one of many awesome things about God. In praying through a tough situation with my boss, God showed me a very good answer to “Why are we called to obey all authority?” Cartoony special effects aside, I think if you honestly let God ask you some really tough questions, and don’t let your little demon get the last word, you’ll be amazed at what has been right under your nose for years.