Submission is Not a Four Letter Word

Being a Godly Wife is a topic I'm very passionate about. When I became a true believer and God became my everything, the most important person in my life I wanted to share it with was my husband. In my ignorance, I not only shared with him who God is, but I began to "preach" at him, pointing out all the changes we needed to make to become a Godly family. It didn't take but a few months for Val to ask me to STOP talking about God. I was at a standstill. What was I to do?

1 Peter 3:1-7 changed everything for me. I delved into the bible to know how to be the kind of wife God wanted me to be. I also needed to know how to show my husband Christ, without saying a word. I then understood it was all in my actions.

I was asked the following question by a reader of www.christianwomenonline.net and it's followed by my answer. Enjoy.

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Q.

With great interest I've been following your website and reading your advice column here. I was just about ready to "make the leap" and seek out some of the resources you'd recommended, when I read something that made me doubt my ability to blend a Christian life with the convictions of equality I've been raised to believe in.

You gave advice to a woman who was trying to come to an agreement with her husband about homeschooling. You wrote that in the end, the husband is the leader of the family and should make the final decision.

I was raised to believe that men and women are equals and should act as partners when married. I also believe this demonstrates to children that women shouldn't be submissive and that their opinions are as worthy as that of males. I know that to suddenly change my way of thinking that my partner's opinions should be the final ones regardless of compromise would leave me feeling disrespected and unsatisfied, and I would hope through compromise my partner would never feel this way in return, either.

If it is true that it is suggested that men dominate the "power" role in the modern family, I'm not sure if my yearning to walk a similar path to your's is right for me after all. Will it be possible for me to dedicate my life to Christ if I don't feel "right" putting my partner on an uneven plane as myself?

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A.

Many women in today's culture struggle with this very thought and subject, so you're not alone. It is our society that's got it messed up and has confused us all. Just because you were raised a certain way and brought up to believe certain things, it doesn't mean they are right. Let's look at the Bible for answers.

Marriage is an equal partnership in that BOTH roles, husband and wife, are equally important. But, they are not designed to be the SAME role. The Bible says, "For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman: but the woman for the man" (1Corinthians 11:8-9). In Genesis, God created Adam and said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a him an help meet for him". (Gen. 2:18) See, we were CREATED to be a helper to our husbands.

"Submission" is not a four letter word. Today's culture would have us believe it is. That is straight from the mouth of the enemy. Being submissive to my husband in no way makes me feel disrespected or unsatisfied. I haven't turned into a door mat that gets walked all over. Just the opposite! As a submissive wife, I have a great responsibility and role in my marriage. Yes, I'm the second in command but does that make my role less worthy? No.
Think of it in military terms. You have a commanding officer and a soldier. There is a chain of command. Does that make the soldier's role less important? Of course it doesn't. If everyone was a commanding officer, there would be chaos! Same thing in your household. Having two heads of authority doesn't work by design. Once a conflict arises, you will both stand on your principles until someone compromises, or worse--not, and the other will feel defeated. Most likely it will be your husband who'll do the compromising because it will be easier to give in than listen to his unhappy wife. This cycle will continue on in your marriage, only to have your husband feel he's incapable of making good decisions for your family, that you don't respect him, and ultimately find himself looking for a woman who will. I know that sounds harsh, but why do you think the divorce rate gets higher and higher every year?

I take joy in serving my husband. He does not take advantage of me. I don't become his slave. I help him because it pleases the Lord, and ultimately, THAT is who I care about most. When I love, honor, respect and help build my husband into the man God wants him to be for our home, he has so much love for me in return. He WANTS my opinion, he trusts me, he takes my advice and asks what I think on just about every subject. This trust has been given because of my attitude when it comes to his decision making. We talk, we share, he knows what's important to me. He ALWAYS takes that into consideration. I'll tell you, most of the time, my husband will yield to my direction on the subject because he values it so. But, when he believes a different decision to be right, I allow him to make that final decision and not say anything more about it. I don't let the disappointment show on my face for the next few days. I don't whine and complain about not getting my way. And I CERTAINLY don't rub it in his face if my way would have been the better way! I'm right there by his side to help him make a better decision the next time around. (Trust me... when things like that happen, they'll listen to you even more next time!)

Ultimately, my husband is responsible for all the decisions made in our home before God. He'll stand before God to give an account of our family. That's a weight lifted from my shoulders and yet such a hefty responsibility for my husband. I want to do everything possible to see us succeed together.

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (1Cor. 11:3) Do you see the chain of command? Even Christ is subject to one higher than himself--God! Why then, should we feel that we deserve to be equal with everyone else? Are we not subject to Christ as well? Again, this is society's view that's got us all confused. I choose to allow my husband to lead because I want to do it God's way. I gave up "my rights" when I gave my life over to the Lord.

My recommended reading in the bible is Titus 2. My favorite books on this topic are Created to Be His Help Meet by Debbie Pearl, The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace and Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Candace