I am also the oldest of my parents' two children so therefore, I have always been in charge :) I was raised to be very independent and strong and I learned to take good care of myself and even a few others if need be.
After finishing college, I landed a job in "Corporate America". I was promoted up the ladder and accepted a position in Atlanta, GA. I then became Ms. Corporate America (self-titled :)). There was not much I thought I could not do.
During this time, I really struggled with the parts of the Bible that called on Christians to be submissive. That six letter word (submit) just did not fit into my world at the time. Submit??? No -- I was an independent, strong, capable woman. After all -- Psalms 139:14 says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God made me this way and it's OK -- He really doesn't really want ME to submit. I don't even have a husband -- after all -- that word submit really applies to a marriage relationship where God calls the wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22). I just ignored any reference to submission because I was strong and He made me this way.
Then along came Shawn and he literally swept me off my feet. I feel head over heels in love and agreed to be his wife. I continued to just ignore that submission verse in the Bible. I was too much in love to think about submitting.
Today -- almost 20 years later -- I can say with a loving heart and a restored soul, that I only learned how to love My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and my husband to the fullest potential God has called me to when I finally learned how and agreed to submit. Let me back up, not when I learned how to submit -- but when God taught me what submission is and how it is NOT a suggestion but it is a requirement.
He taught me, hands on, that a submissive life leads to the abundant life and that's what I want sisters!!!! He has taught me and is continuing to teach me that when I lay down my life, and my desires, and my wishes, and my hopes, and my dreams -- He gives them back to me larger than life, larger than I could even imagine them to be. Ephesians 3:20 comes to life when you submit to God.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us."
This strong, independent, capable lady has learned and is still learning the joy in submission. Please consider the following encouraging points from Beth Moore's Bible study in the Book of James:
- God knows everything about you and every matter concerning you. Nothing is hidden from His sight. So submit to God.
- He is always looking out for your ultimate good and takes your hurts personally. So submit to God.
- He is holy and worthy and incapable of abusing His divine authority over you. So submit to God.
- He knows when your motive was right but your mouth messed up. So submit to God.
- He knows exactly how to work terrible into good. So submit to God.
- He loves you completely and unconditionally and will never let you go. So submit to God.
- He knows the plan for your life and how all things must fall into place for you to fulfill your destiny. So submit to God.
- He will never put to shame those who trust in Him. So submit to God.
My sisters in Christ, this Independence Day, submit to God. He has something bigger for each of us than our human minds can hug.
