17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Written by Jasmyn Joubert
Lord, I love your commands. Oof. This is not the easiest Psalm to belt out on Sunday morning is it?
When I was a teen I thought my parents' rules were ridiculous. I was convinced they were out to completely ruin my life. How could they tell me I couldn't sleep over at certain friends' houses, had to be home by curfew, and the worst crime-keep me from having a smartphone?! I was absolutely appalled and had so much teenage angst about the rules.
Flashforward to the current moment-where I am raising 2 daughters in 2023. And boy do we have some rules and strict boundaries about all those very same things. And why? Because now, I look back with extreme gratitude for these rules that I used to disdain. I see the ways my parents stood firm in their rules and kept me safe when it would have been so easy for them to give in. They fought the good fight for my life and for my soul. I owe so much of who I am to these rules and their love throughout enforcing them.
Is this not the same for our Heavenly Father? As a perfect parent God is always fighting the good fight for our souls. His commandments are not there to ruin all of our fun or to make us live these unrealistic and boring lives. In His wisdom (and much like my parent’s wisdom) He knows what a life of sin will result in: pain, regret, anger, a complete robbing of peace. That is why He gives us His commandments: to keep us safe, to guide us when we forget our way and to help us live lives full of peace and joy.
So yeah, this Sunday I will belt out these words and wholeheartedly say that Lord, I do in fact love your commands. Because they have brought me joy. They have brought me peace.
Jasmyn Joubert is a school counselor by trade and a mom of two daughters by vocation. She has a passion for public speaking, specifically on the intersection of faith and mental health. Most recently, Jasmyn was named President of Alive in You Outreach, a non-profit that focuses on creating servant hearts among the teens in our Church. Follow Jasmyn on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.