For those of you who have followed me for any period of time know that when something is placed on my heart to write, it is more than likely coming from a personal stand point of encounter. Whether it be something I am going through or is an issue I see played out in front of my very eyes all too often. This is both. Don't worry, I have pulled the "log out of my own eye" in this area, so by no means am I avoiding my splinters to get to yours.
I have (and I must be very careful as I write this because I can totally see the devil getting on his moped, full throttle ready to come after me to challenge this) on most days no problem submitting to the Lord. I have, on most occasions, no problem submitting to my husband. Looking back I did not have much of an issue submitting to my parents. I am a people pleaser so I guess that comes along with it. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed me with the heart to submit, because I know it is hard. Very hard.
We must first submit everything to the Lord. I mean everything. He does not want us to hold back anything. Every area of our lives must be His when we are His. Where my conviction lies in submission is my time. There are times when I like to be in control of my schedule, but He wants even that. My time on this earth is His, not my own.
When we hold back from submitting to the Lord, we are being prideful. We are saying to Christ, "No, I know a better plan. I have a better way." Um, been there done that and it was not pretty. I never uttered those words, however, when I was not following the direction of Christ, that was what I was inadvertently saying to my Maker. I was never happy, life itself was a struggle, and I drifted further and further away from the One who knows every strand on my head. (Luke 12:7)
John 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up."
Once you submit every room in the house of your heart to Christ, the other areas of submission will be easier. I said easier, not easy. As wives we are called to submit to our husbands. Ephesians 5:22-23 says, " Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." In everything. If husband says no, then you need to seriously consider that no. And just like with our prayers, it may not be "forever no", but more so a "not at this time". Some examples in my life to help you get some perspective of where I am coming from: moving 300 miles away from where I wanted to live and I wanted to teach and where I wanted to raise kids, staying home after having children and working from the house instead of pursuing a position as a principal, staying home during a time of harvest instead of following my own agenda of things I want to get done, using money to pay off debt instead of the latest trends or activities for my children or myself, living on the farm instead of the city where it is more convenient .... these are just things that come to mind right now. I am sure that daily you have a list of ways that you submit as well. Being a wife and mommy is definitely a calling of humbling yourself to submission in ways you never thought you would or could before. But if you have first submitted to Christ, then submitting to your husband will come much more naturally. I know some women may be rolling their eyes and saying, "how old fashion ...". No, my dearest friends, it is straight from God's word, and His word is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The only line of not submitting to your husband is if he calls you to sin. Other than that, whipash ...
I could go on and on about submission and what His word says about it. The root of this post is that, thank you to social media and it's trends, I felt compelled to share this part of my heart and mind. More and more I see Christians not submitting to Christ first of all, and very much so not submitting to husbands. Let me end with this thought: When you do not submit, you are withholding Christ's plan for your life. He has something so much better planned. SO. MUCH. BETTER. And if you have family, you are not only depriving yourself from God's amazing blessings, but you are depriving your family from His path. I promise, He knows the next step (Proverbs 16:9) and it is so much better paved in gold, than in the muddy, murky waters we dredge ourselves through. I am not saying God's way will be easy, but His path will not burden your life; it will point to Him, and to God be the glory for that. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Today I challenge you to pray for the Lord to reveal an area in your life that needs more discipline with submission. It is a scary, but oh so very rewarding prayer. It can be money, time, husband, food, alcohol, children .... research every area of your heart, and come back and share with me in a few weeks how this has ended up blessing not only you, but your family as well. I can not wait to see how God uses this revelation for you and His glory.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
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