Why are there so many rules?

A couple days ago I was out with our sweet sister missionaries. It was Sister Faumuina's last night with us; she would transfer to Murray the following day. If you click on the above link, you can see a picture of her, the sister on the left. We spent much of the evening dropping by various homes, so she could say goodbye to investigators and friends. One investigator in particular was curious about where she was going and why. He had many questions:

• Can you come back and visit? (Not unless I happen to be called back to this area.)
• Can I call you on the phone? (No, but you can call Sis. Gonzales and her new companion.)
• But you'll still be coming to this same church building on Sundays, right? (No. I'll be attending a ward in Murray.)
• Can I at least give you a hug goodbye? (No, just a handshake.)
• WHY ARE THERE SO MANY RULES?!

I smiled to myself when I heard him ask this question. I am a person who doesn't much like being told what to do. I'm very thankful for the gift of free agency, and I very much like using mine. Let me elaborate. I dislike being told what to do so much that if I'm at a stoplight and someone honks at me, I proceed to drive just as slowly as I can (yep, about 5 mph) for as long as that car is stuck behind me. I know, right? Incredibly mature.

Why are there so many rules, he wanted to know? I went home that evening and began to ponder. Why are mission rules, in particular, so rigid? Why can I only talk to my son twice a year? Why does he have to keep his hair so short and wear a white shirt and tie every day? Why does he have to get up at 6:30 a.m.? I could go on and on. I decided that, while many if not all of these rules surely have a genuine and worthy reason, and if I thought hard enough, I could maybe even figure out what it is, perhaps the most compelling reason for all the rules is the principle of obedience.

Yep, simple obedience. When we learn to be obedient, especially when doing so involves sacrifice, we become more like the Savior, who in pure obedience sacrificed his very life for each of us. Tonight, Sister Gonzales and her new companion and I visited again with this same investigator. He is an awesome guy, and the sisters would very much like him to commit to a baptism date. He explained that his unwillingness to commit is largely because of his issue with green tea. "Why can't I drink green tea? It's good for me!" This man lives a healthy lifestyle, eats well, exercises regularly, and truly cares for his body. And he's convinced that green tea is healthy.

In all honesty, I can't tell you whether it's healthy or not. I've never researched it. I know it's against the Word of Wisdom, our church's law of health. And I choose to obey. For me, following this part of the law requires little sacrifice because I've never actually tasted green tea, so I have no idea if it's good. But I hope I would choose to obey regardless. When we choose to obey, and particularly when that act of obedience requires sacrifice, we strengthen our resistance to temptation, we fortify ourselves spiritually, and we grow to be more like Christ. That's plenty enough reason for me.

Nope, I don't like to be told what to do. I never have, and I likely never will. But I'm willing to obey, even when that sometimes means making a sacrifice, because the blessings of obedience are worth it. I hope and pray that this particular investigator, whom I have come to truly care about, will soon decide that the blessings of baptism are well worth any sacrifice, including living the Word of Wisdom, even when he doesn't fully understand the reason for every part of it.

That said, I still don't recommend honking at me at a stoplight.