Obedience is a word for Dogs. Obedience is for the strong to rule over the weak. Obedience is for the mindless, who can’t think for themselves. Obedience only applied to others, not me.There was a time when I was a very young child when I was obedient. I did everything I was told. I sat in closets for endless days, being obedient. I endured physical pain beyond a scream being obedient. I lay silently in obedience as my body was misused and abused.I heard them singing, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.” Yeah right. I promised myself, and the so called God of heaven or hell, earth or sky, that in this life for me there would never be such a thing as OBEDIENCE. Not for this kid.Then one day, a not so spectacular day, I was walking down the street. No one would dare approach me. Everything about my appearance said ‘stay away.’ As I walked, I noticed a very old, very short, and very Black woman coming toward me. She looke directly at me, into my eyes, through me to the hurt child. She stopped, right in front of me, rested with one arm on her cane. She held the other open. She did not speak or laugh, but her lips held the softest hint of a smile; she invited me into her world – I accepted. In three large steps I was in her arms, crying uncontrollably the cry of a very small, very lonely, terribly hurt human being. The only words she spoke was a whisper in my ear, “Obedience is the beginning of love.”