As a child growing up in the Jackson household, I knew disobeying my parents came with a price. I was either punished or if the offence was serious enough, I got a spanking. Thankfully, I was a pretty compliant child and my spankings or punishments were far and few between.
Now that I’ve transitioned into adulthood, there is no earthly parental figure to which I’m held accountable. There are however, other systems in place by which we are governed. For instance, should we break the law, the judicial system will define the penalty for our actions. Schools, workplaces and such also have rules and and guidelines in place to define what is and is not acceptable on their premises. In my life there is also a Higher Power to which I answer. I chose to call Him God.
The other day, on my Birthday to be exact, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure. As I left my house, I glanced at my watch. I knew I was having family and a couple close friends over for cake and refreshments, so my time was limited. I headed out and as I drove, I considered going to a salon, I don’t frequent because it was closer to home.
To give you a brief history, I’ve switched to a new salon because I had a couple bad experiences at the place I frequented for years. I’d finally found a shop where, they not only listened to me but I left in one piece, if you will. As I headed up the road, I thought to myself, if I go to my usual spot, I may be late getting back home to prepare for my guests. Here, is where things became interesting.
In order to save time, I headed for the salon closer to my home where I’d not had a pedicure. At this point, I clearly heard the voice of God say, “Do not go to that salon, go to the one you always go to or go home and wait until tomorrow.” This is where vanity stepped in and directed my next steps. I said to myself and the Spirit of God, “I don’t have enough time to go to the other place and I want a pedicure for my Birthday; how bad can it it be? After all, it’s in a high end area of town.”
I ignored the wisdom of God and headed a couple miles up the road to the other salon. As I sat in the chair, feeling like I need to run for the exit, I kept telling myself, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Well, halfway through the pedicure, I felt a sting on the inside of my left foot, just below my ankle. When it happened again, I looked down and I was bleeding. To make a long story short, the technician had rubbed a dime sized piece of skin completely off my foot.
He apologized profusely and put an antiseptic on the spot. Two days later, I ended up in the doctor’s office to have my foot looked at. I’m now on antibiotics both orally and topically. It’s been a week and a half and the spot still hasn’t healed. All could have been avoided, if I’d only listened.
There is a price to being disobedient. Had I listened and not allowed vanity to enter my heart, I wouldn’t have a painful wound that requires a lengthy treatment. For young people, not following parental or educational instruction can be costly. Not adhering to the rules established by our government or court systems can even result in death.
I’ve learned a valuable lesson from my experience and I hope my sharing, will encourage you to take time to listen. Whether it be to parents, employers or whomever. Remember there are consequences to our actions and no one in their right mind wants to pay the price of disobedience.
Ciao!
By Savannah Jackson, she adds a little sass in every page.
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