New Found Freedom

Alright, I'm just going to throw this word out there:  submissive!  There I said it!  What ideas do you conjure up when you think of this?  Are they negative or neutral?  I can bet my lunch money they are not positive!  And why is this, we tend to paint a picture of someone who is weak, without conviction and powerless.

I would like to turn this portrait on it's head and challenge you to consider it in a brand new way.  Let's first consider a christian who submits to God's plans and God's will; is he or she weak? Or might they be a strong and faithful individual who is secure enough in their beliefs to trust that God knows best?  What about a wife who steps back and encourages her husband to be the one to make the final call on an important family matter, is she powerless?  Now let's also imagine the friend who chooses not to engage in a debate simply to prove they are right, are they without conviction?

At one point or another over the last few months I have landed in all of these scenarios and I am wondering how on earth did this super stubborn women ever learn to be submissive?  Is it my age?  I know I'm starting to gray, but that can't be it!  Do I really not care enough anymore and I've given up the fight?  NO!  When I was a young girl, my dad used to call me "Ruth Knows All, Tells All".   Now I didn't like the name at all, but over time I began to wear it as a "ha! ha!" badge of honor.

But no longer.  I'm learning to be patient and wait on God.  I trust and respect my husband enough to know he will make the best decision for the entire family.  And I care more about the relationships I'm in than in being right.  I have found freedom in this!  I don't have to always be in control.  The responsibility is not solely on MY shoulders. 

When I struggle with these things, because it still is not second nature, I seek God's heart in prayer and in scripture.

By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers,

 love one another earnestly from a pure heart.  1Peter 1:22

We must first be obedient to God and then out of genuine love, care for others.  Granted that isn't an easy task to carry out, but it is also not a complicated formula like one of these new fangled diet plans!  Obedience and submission walk hand in hand.  I dare you to walk with them and see what happens!