That Rebellious Streak

Why is it that when we ask something of our children or instruct our children to do something they want to rebel? What is it within us as adults that makes us just so rebellious? Before we even begin to try and answer that question, let's define rebel, the root of the word rebellious.
Dictionary.com cites the origin of rebel as follows:1250-1300; (adj.) ME < OF rebelle  < L rebellis renewing a war, equiv. to re- re-  + bell ( um ) war + -is  adj. suffix; (v.) ME rebellen  (< OF rebeller ) < L rebellāre;  (n.) ME rebel,  deriv. of the adj.
In essence-Re- means renew/again and bell-in Latin is war. Interesting, yes?
Now, look again at the action of the person who is being rebellious. Dictionary.com also cites the meaning  of rebel as:  
1. a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country.

2. a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.

Now, children it seems have this natural inclination to resist any authority. They don't take to being controlled and have a hard time accepting traditions. However, it seems the same is true for adults. No, it doesn't seem. Adults are exactly the same. They resist, authority, control or tradition too. 

Take for instance, say, your wife asks you to take out the trash. For whatever reason, you don't move, you just sit there. You aren't handling a delicate situation, you aren't in the middle of a life or death situation. You just plain old don't feel like doing it then. Time passes and it becomes less and less important and low and behold, here comes the wife. Standing in front of you with a scowl on her face. Is your wife an authority? Well, the Holy Qur'an says you have rights of whom your right hand possesses. I would say that gives her some 'juice' (pardon the slang). So, in essence she isn't your boss but she indeed has rights/limited authority.

When it comes to your children they certainly resist and you have all the authority as the parent. 

The question is, why? Why the resistance? Why the hesitancy to just submit or do? Is it because we don't know how to do what is being asked? Is it because we resent the fact that someone other than God and ourselves can expect/demand something of us? Is it that inner war of insecurity that tells us, if we obey the request or instruction we are less than another? 

Whatever it is, it absolutely positively must be dealt with in a spiritual way. We must stop thinking that every request is an effort to encroach upon our person. Requests in righteousness are opportunities to acquire a blessing. We start off this way as children and stay that way through adulthood to the detriment of our relationships. Each time our children tell us 'no' or simply resist our authority they are giving life to a part of themselves that enables them to become, really, and enemy to God and the establishment of His Kingdom. They get stronger in silencing the voice of righteousness which, as the Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan has taught, is our conscious--the voice of God within.

So the next time you decide to resists something that is simple, that is within right, ask yourself why are we resisting, giving life to that rebellious streak?