I was planning for this post to be about beauty but I have been trying for the last two weeks to write it but I have continually come up with nothing. This past semester, I have talked about what it means and what it looks like for women to submit to their husbands with one of my friends quite frequently and today, I was in the middle of trying to write my post about beauty when she texted me that she had heard a sermon on submission today and it confused her. That was when I knew I was supposed to write about submission, not beauty. I feel that I might have a more controversial point of view because I have only heard women talk about submission and when they talk about it, I always end up thinking that they seem weak. I am an extremely independent woman so whenever I hear that I am to submit to my future husband, I get upset. When I first became a Christian and started hearing all about submission, it made me furious. I thought it was ridiculous and now that I have researched this topic and really gotten to know the other side, I feel that I need to share my opinion.
Submission is defined by dictionary.com as “the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.” It’s the first part of that definition that bothers me, the “superior force” part that bothers me and makes me believe that in this world, submission is often confused with oppression.
I do believe that the topic of submission is meant to bother us. In Genesis 3:16, when God is handing Adam and Eve their punishment for eating the forbidden fruit, He says ”To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Submission began as a punishment for women but somehow turned into something women were to strive to be. I don’t know about you, but that’s hard. We were hardwired to believe that submission is a punishment but it is something that we have to strive for? Who strives for a punishment? It is a contradiction which is why I believe so many women have such a hard time time with this topic. We, as women, are called to submit to our husbands but I don’t view submission as so many others do. When I say that submission is often confused with oppression in this world, I mean that some women believe that they cannot have opinions, they cannot do what they desire, they are to be seen and not heard but that is not submission, that is oppression. I view biblical submission as having an opinion, having a voice, and making sure it is heard in your marriage but supporting your husband in the big decisions. That is where the contradiction comes in. You have to trust that your husband has been in prayer and will follow what he believes is God’s desire. I see it like this: in Ephesians 5, we are called to submit to our husbands, and our husbands are called to love us like Christ loved the church. Do you think Christ ignored the church and then did whatever the heck he wanted? No, Christ listened to the church and then ultimately made the decision that he believed was best according to His Father’s will. THAT is what submission looks like. That is what we are to strive for and it is meant to be hard. Nobody is perfect but we are called to live by His word, even if it’s hard…no, ESPECIALLY, if it’s hard. We have to have faith.
Submission is a weird and complicated topic. It is one in which I do not agree with the worldly definition of it but I do believe that it is something that is necessary in a biblical marriage. Submission is kind of like beauty in this aspect, it is in the eye of the beholder. HOW you submit to your husband is your choice, but we ARE called to submit to our husbands as Christ submitted to His Father.
Submission is defined by dictionary.com as “the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.” It’s the first part of that definition that bothers me, the “superior force” part that bothers me and makes me believe that in this world, submission is often confused with oppression.
I do believe that the topic of submission is meant to bother us. In Genesis 3:16, when God is handing Adam and Eve their punishment for eating the forbidden fruit, He says ”To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Submission began as a punishment for women but somehow turned into something women were to strive to be. I don’t know about you, but that’s hard. We were hardwired to believe that submission is a punishment but it is something that we have to strive for? Who strives for a punishment? It is a contradiction which is why I believe so many women have such a hard time time with this topic. We, as women, are called to submit to our husbands but I don’t view submission as so many others do. When I say that submission is often confused with oppression in this world, I mean that some women believe that they cannot have opinions, they cannot do what they desire, they are to be seen and not heard but that is not submission, that is oppression. I view biblical submission as having an opinion, having a voice, and making sure it is heard in your marriage but supporting your husband in the big decisions. That is where the contradiction comes in. You have to trust that your husband has been in prayer and will follow what he believes is God’s desire. I see it like this: in Ephesians 5, we are called to submit to our husbands, and our husbands are called to love us like Christ loved the church. Do you think Christ ignored the church and then did whatever the heck he wanted? No, Christ listened to the church and then ultimately made the decision that he believed was best according to His Father’s will. THAT is what submission looks like. That is what we are to strive for and it is meant to be hard. Nobody is perfect but we are called to live by His word, even if it’s hard…no, ESPECIALLY, if it’s hard. We have to have faith.
Submission is a weird and complicated topic. It is one in which I do not agree with the worldly definition of it but I do believe that it is something that is necessary in a biblical marriage. Submission is kind of like beauty in this aspect, it is in the eye of the beholder. HOW you submit to your husband is your choice, but we ARE called to submit to our husbands as Christ submitted to His Father.