Watering the Seeds of Submission
DURING OUR FIRST YEAR of marriage, Michael spent a lot of time teaching me about biblical submission. I confess that it was my own behavior (which regrettably was anything BUT submissive) that often prompted these times of teaching. At times the tears flowed freely and I felt so frustrated and that all the days of my life were going to be filled with me being crushed into the ground and losing myself. The transition from single to wife can be wrought with difficulties and the first year of marriage is usually the hardest.
Submission is a lesson you learn over and over. Each time a situation arises you have the opportunity to behave in a godly fashion, or chose to indulge the flesh. When faced with that split-second, in-the-moment choice it will always cost you something to obey. You have to put your flesh to death in a very real way by refusing to indulge it. Submission always produces life and liberty…but usually not right away.
So what is the seed that you can choose to water so that the desire to submit will actually grow within you? It is an understanding of proper authority. Did you know that the Godhead actually operates in submission? The Holy Spirit is in perfect submission to Jesus who is always in perfect submission to The Father. What a discovery! As a believer I live under the authority of God. And as a wife I live under God’s delegated authority to my husband. So in a very real sense when I am submitting to my husband, I do so knowing full well that I honor God and His representative in my life.
Submission will always remain a choice. This is a truth that deserves some serious meditation. Each choice I make, no matter how little pleases the very heart of God when I obey. Since Jesus says that those who love Him will obey him, I keep this in mind and my obedience therefore becomes my joy. I water this seed over and over and pray that God will unfold this truth to me so that when an “opportunity” to submit arises, I can more easily side with righteousness. I can bring forth spiritual fruit.
This is not an issue of always “giving in” to my husband or being a doormat. This is an issue of me keeping myself within the will of God and positioning myself and my husband for blessing. Rebellion does not produce life.
Submission is a perfect choice, it honors God, it honors my husband and it brings forth the very character of God in my life.
Lord I pray that this understanding will minister to the ladies who will read this blog post. May it be a seed that they will plant in their hearts and water with prayer and meditation. Bring forth a great harvest and bless your beloved daughters. Amen.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
so out of curiosity, how do you think submission transfers to relationships out of marriage? I am single, so I guess I am thinking in terms of what would be proper submission to friends, etc. because I know it’s not the same extent, but it is necessary I believe in all relationships somewhat.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Tiffany, thank you for your question!
Submission is not something that transfers to just any relationship. The power of submission is that God honors it when the person you are submitting to has proper authority to lead. Here are the relationships where submission is required, and therefore honored by God:
–child submits to parents (until they move out and then they are the head of their own household, respecting our parents continues however.)
–wife submits to husband
–worker submits to employer
–submit to government authority (provided it is not against Christ’s authority who trumps that)
–submit to Church authority such as pastors, elders…
–the Church submits to Christ (although our submission never results in our changing Him since He is perfect!)
Single adults who live on their own submit to their employers, the government, and to Church authority. If they still live at home it would be necessary to submit to their parents until marriage. At that point even if they live at home they now submit to their husbands instead of their parents. As far as submitting to one’s friends, they don’t have authority over you so submitting to them won’t actually bring Gods blessing of correction if they are wrong. Nevertheless, it is good to remember that we are admonished that each should esteem others more highly than themselves to foster a culture of honor and humility in the Kingdom of God. (Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. )