The "S" Word

I am not exactly sure why, but this whole subject popped into my head the other night while I was laying in bed. For some reason, I felt that I should write a blog about it. I don't know why, but here it is.

Okay, as you may have noticed, the title of this is "The "S" Word." By "S" word, I mean submission. In our society today, with the women's liberation movement and that whole mess, submission is almost a curse word. We (especially us girls) have been told that a woman should never submit to a man. We're just as good as men, or better. First of all, let me just go a little off the subject and say that this attitude has killed chivalry. Women demand to be treated as equals and then wonder why men no longer open doors, pull out your seat, and give you their coat. Go figure. Anyway, I digress.

As I was saying, we've been told that women shouldn't have to submit to their husbands. That's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." It's right there in black and white, and this verse has often resulted in Christians being dubbed as sexist. That's because they fail to look a few verses down. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

So, what does all this mean? Well, it means that, yes, wives should submit to their husbands. Husbands should be the leader of the household. Here is the catch though, they should be leading with love. Not just love as the world defines it but with the same love that Christ has for the church. We're talking a deep, unconditional, eternal love, enough to lay your life down. If a husband is leading with that kind of love, a wife should have no problem submitting.

Many people cannot believe that a woman would have this opinion. In fact, I remember having a discussion about the Bible with one of my husband's uncles. I had stated that I believed the Bible was 100% true. He thought he was going to catch me and asked me if I believed that a wife should submit to her husband. I still remember the look of shock on his face when I said, "I absolutely believe that a wife should submit to her husband as long as her husband is leading in love." I have no problem submitting to my husband. First of all, he is a very godly man who loves the Lord and seeks His will for our family. Secondly, he loves us. I can trust that any decision he makes for our family has been prayed over and is in God's will and in the best interest of our family. Submitting to my husband doesn't make me feel bad, cheated, or demeaned. On the contrary it makes me feel safe, comforted, and glad that there is someone there to take care of me. My husband respects me 100%. He asks my opinion on things and respects them. At the end of the day though, he is the leader, and he is the one who will ultimately have to answer to God for the state of our family.

Anyway, as I said, I am not exactly sure why that came to me, but it did. Believe me, I am not a great theologian, as you can probably see from the stumbling words in my writing. There it is for what it's worth though. Comments and discussion are welcome, but as this is a touchy subject, rudeness and fighting is discouraged. :o)