Submission takes 3

Every woman has at one time or another cringed at the the thought of the biblical idea of submission. Thousands of women have made sure that the concept does not appear in their marriage ceremony. Those of us who come from a more conservative perspective allow the concept but are still uneasy about how to live out the reality. Perhaps part of the problem is that we tend to regard submission as just a matter of the right attitude on the part of the wife. Obviously that's part of it but only part of it.

Jesus submitted to the will of  His father. The creator of all things also submitted himself  to sinful earthly authorities. In Ephesians 5 and 6. Paul talks about wives submitting to their husbands,bond servants obeying their earthly masters, and children obeying parents. If you aren't submitting to someone now, just look to the past, or peer into the near future. Submission is part of everyone's life.
All Christians , male and female have to follow Jesus as we submit to God the father. This is the primary act of submission we must all do

Two principles have made it fairly easy for me to submit to my husband. My husband sees me as one of the best gifts that God has given to him. He listens to my perspective and even if he doesn't agree with me my ideas often help him to fine tune his choice. The second principle is that since God rules over the heart of a king he will certainly rule over my husband. God is sovereign no matter who is submitting to whom. Submission is not a task selected only for women. In order to fill our role in God's kingdom all of us must submit to our heavenly father as well as others in positions of  authority such as elders, employers and husbands.

All women that I have observed want a husband who after prayer and discussion is willing to make especially the hard decisions. Too often there are women who instead of encouraging their husbands to take charge operate out of fear. They do not focus on the sovereignty of the all powerful authority who is the giver of good gifts. These women who do not submit to their husbands also struggle to submit to the leadership of their church, All of us struggle with fear but when we base our lives on an understanding of the never changing character of God, then we can not stay in the grasp of this old enemy.

If you expect me to say I never struggle with how to best apply these principles after 43 years of marriage I'm sorry to disappoint you. The process of obeying is not easy but  the more we both submit to our heavenly father the easier it is to slip my hand through the arm of my husband as we walk as one, pleasing Him.

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