"Submission"

This might be a little long, but I need to write it. Submission is a word that really sets us off sometimes. Some view it as weak or something you do when one cannot do any better because you are forced. However, God's word speaks often of submission. Wives are told to submit to their husbands and Peter says even if the husband is disobedient to the word (I Pet. 3:1). We are told to submit to one another, to submit to human institutions, governments and masters. Why would the apostles Peter and Paul call us to submission? Could it be there is something wrong with our view toward submission?

Let me say that when we are told to submit, the Lord is speaking to His chosen people that are alive in His name, redeemed and full of joy and share in the glory of Christ. We are people who are wonderfully, marvelously saved and freed from the bonds of sin. We are His children and He loves us deeply. Having said that, here are some truths I have observed...

(1) Everyone on earth submits to someone each and every day! We submit to Christian's and non-Christian's alike. On our jobs, helping out someone in need, even the driving of our vehicles, we submit to someone.

(2) Submission is something we choose. Our employers may ask something of us and we may not like it, but we submit! Our doctors might tell us to change our diet or give us advice when we are ill and we submit. A teacher asks certain things in order to finish a course and we submit. We choose to submit in these cases and there are other cases too.

(3) Submission can become more difficult if someone is causing us stress or pain. When we suffer because of someones unkindness toward us, our attention begins to be drawn to how we are being treated and the blessings we have in Christ seem to fall in the background. Submission becomes more difficult because we choose something different in our hearts. We want to eliminate the stress and pain and take our own action to do so. The danger becomes we may be creating more difficulties in our lives rather than relieve the situation.

(4) Submission is easier or harder depending on the source of stress or pain. You see families caring for a sick child and there is no question to submit to whatever it takes for their well being. You feel the stress because of the pain the child is in or what they are going through because they belong to you and your love for the child strengthens you to carry the burden. You make the choice to submit. Take a marriage that is strained. Submission becomes a greater challenge because we might feel bullied or taken advantage of and it does not suit us. This is probably the situation most find themselves when choosing not to submit. We see little reward to submitting to someone who hurts us or takes advantage of us. It applies to the law of the land also.

To submit to someone or an injustice, we must take great care in looking at our attitudes. What we have to keep in mind is life is not about our "rights". We gave Jesus our every right to allow Him to have first place in everything we do and think. When Peter asks us to submit (I Pet. 2:13-25), he is not forcing us. He is showing us because of our relationship to the Creator of the world, who is our Lord and Master, submit and with a right attitude! He has it all under control. We are serving Him by submitting. Why would the Lord ask such of us, especially when someone is taking advantage of us? Because attitudes of the Lord transforms situations and soften hearts! If our heart will submit to the Lord, then what gets our heart will get our energy! Whoever has your love has your service! And I hear Christian's advising other Christian's, "You don't have to put up with that nonsense!!! I would..." or "I would leave them if they treated me that way!" Maybe we really need to re-examine our relationship to the Lord. Are we really saved and in a safe haven? Who is really getting our love and devotion?