Category: Submission

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The Dark Alley of Unbelief

My dearest sister in Christ,

I am writing this letter to you today with a humble heart.  Forgive me for not writing to you sooner.  I must admit that even though life has been hectic and at times even chaotic, the primary reason for this letter’s delay is the subject matter.

Each time I have set out to put my thoughts to you in order, I have been challenged by my own heart’s attitude.  I could easily write to you with what it means to be submissive and even offer a few helpful “how to” tips.  Those are good and noble for sure.

However, as I have examined my own heart (as best as I possibly could with the help of the Holy Spirit) it seems to me that the greatest help, the best encouragement that I can offer to you in this matter, is that it is a matter of the heart.  So, I must ask; where does your heart lie?  How is it positioned with regards to submission?  To whom does your heart belong, even?

It is at this place that we ALL must start: “For where your treasure is, there you will also find your heart.” (Matthew 6:21) Really, truly, everything comes down to the matter of the heart which is why Solomon wrote “Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus warned the religious zealots; “… what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:18)

We say we love Christ.  We avow it is our heart’s desire to follow Him all the days of our lives.  We say we might even go to the farthest reaches of this globe (earth) to proclaim His Truth and Beauty.  Yet, in the matter of submitting to our husbands there is that devilish little word…”but” which negates any lovely intention we have to obey the Word of God.  Once we add that little three letter word to the end of our intention we remove the sincerity of our vows.  That little word is a detour within our hearts which mostly reside on the avenue of Trust and Obey.  The detour takes us down the dark alley of Unbelief that weaves in and around our hearts like a maze.

This is the culprit that lurks within all of our hearts, and when they are tested  (and they will be) they will come face to face with Unbelief.  Do I trust what God has said to be true?  Do I believe that God is Good? Do I trust that in His perfect time and way all will be revealed and that justice belongs to Him alone?

There is no way for me to know from what perspective your heart is reading this letter today.  God alone is the heart knower.  However, I can tell you, I feel I must even warn you that circumstances often distort our perspectives.  Just as a pilot must constantly look to the instruments of the airplane to determine the position of the aircraft in relation to the horizon, we must always check the position of our heart in relation to God and His Word. He will always right our perspective.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He tenderly cares for those who are His and He is jealous for His own. He promises to bring us through the storm and just as we begin to sink in the ocean of despair He holds out His hand to rescue us. He has given us a spirit of adoption as children by whom we cry “Abba!” “Father!”

Stop, and ask yourself; where is my heart’s position at this moment? Come out from that dark alley of Unbelief dear sister and walk with Christ along the Avenue of Trust and Obey. 

Steadfastly,

Susan

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His Example for Our Submission

My dear sisters,

It seems that when I am struggling with a certain issue, the Lord brings someone into my life that asks me how to deal with said issue. Ugh. Now I’m forced to biblically look at my own heart as I seek to give her wise counsel that I struggle to apply in my own life. Well, this month’s said issue is submission. Why do I have to submit to my husband? Why can’t it be a mutual thing? After all, I lived 30 years under my own control and think I did a pretty good job…how am I supposed to give up this control the moment I say “I do”? The pat answer is…because the Bible tells me I need to (Eph. 5:22, 24; Col 3:18). Our desire to rule our own lives happened in the garden when Eve decided to go against the good and perfect authority the Lord gave her and eat the fruit. Ever since then, we women LOVE to be in control and try to rule over our husbands…yet this is not how the Lord designed us. He made both men and women in His own image with indescribable worth. However, he gave each different responsibilities that compliment each other. The man’s responsibility is to work and sacrificially love his wife. The woman is to submit to the authority that God gave her husband.

Submission cannot be a bad thing because we see in scripture that Jesus submitted to the will of His Father by dying on the cross. He gave up His home in heaven, humbly took on human flesh and chose to die on the cross when the Father did not remove that cup of suffering from Him. Do you remember what happens after that? The Father raised His Son from the dead, conquering the curse from Adam, and placed Him at His right side. Jesus was glorified!! I don’t think any of us would say that Jesus was less of a person or God by submitting to the Father. They are the same essence, just as we are the same as our husbands in essence…made in the image of God.

OK, so I know the Bible tells me to submit, but practically, how does that work? What if I know I’m right? What if he doesn’t lead me well? What if I don’t trust him? What if I know what he wants our family to do is the worst option? Well, the main question to ask yourself is…”Is he leading us into sin?” If the answer is no, then sisters, we need to submit…even if we think he is wrong. Honestly, I curl my toes and get heartburn at times, yet I need to submit. That is the Lord’s will for us. Submitting brings glory to God and joy to us. It honors our husbands and makes them desire to lead us better. Nevertheless, it is the most difficult thing for us to do sometimes. We need to ask the spirit to help us. We need to ask ourselves why we are not trusting the Lord with how our husbands lead. When we fail to submit…yet again…we need to confess this before the Lord who submitted perfectly for us. Think about how much it hurts when our children do not submit to our leadership. Our husbands feel this pang on a grander scale as we know better than our children. And remember, our husbands also submit to God’s authority over their lives too.

Sisters, we need the spirit to help us do what we can’t do on our own. Our lack of submission should bring us back to our Savior who paid the price for our sin of disobeying our heavenly Father’s design for us…and you know what? We will have joy, both on earth and ultimately, forever in heaven!