The S Word

The Lord has taught me a lot of lessons lately that have been hard and, um, well, unpleasant.

Patience, perseverance, suffering, silence, trust, my sinfulness, being vulnerable with others, waiting…

Add another one to that list: submission. Yes, I said it. It is a word that strikes fear into the hearts of most women – especially liberal women. Now I don’t consider myself liberal by any means and I didn’t think I had a problem with submission - that is, until Jesus showed me I did. He has used my job, my family and, most recently, the organization I am applying to work overseas with to reveal the rebellion in my heart. Yeah, I don’t have a problem with submission when it comes to people who I’m on the same page with (professors, pastors/elders and most people in authority over me) or when we disagree but it doesn't affect me directly. I submit to their authority with joy. But the Lord has placed some people in my life that I struggle submitting to joyfully. It’s a painful reality. And what’s worse is that I am ultimately balking against the authority of God because He, in His wisdom and grace, places people in authority over me (Romans 13:1). Sigh. I've been doing a lot of repenting lately.

So even though I may not agree with the methods or logic of some of the God-given authorities in my life, I am to submit to them. That is the example you see in Scripture and it is commanded in Scripture (Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13). Now this isn’t to say you submit even when the person in charge tells you to do something that defies God’s Word – the Scripture is clear that we always obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29) – but it is to say that when it is not an issue of denying Christ or His Word, but rather a matter of preference or personality, then submission is the command from the Lord…even when the authority is wrong or mistreats you (1 Peter 2:18-25). Check out this example from Genesis 16. Sarai did not have children, even though God had promised her and her husband Abram that He would give them children. She waited and she waited, but still no children. So she took matters into her own hands. She had her servant girl, Hagar, sleep with Abram in order to have children by her. But when Hagar became pregnant, the two women despised each other, and Sarah began mistreating her. Eventually Hagar ran away. She could run from Sarai, but not from God.

The angel of the LORD found [Hagar] by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” Genesis 16:7-9

This doesn’t mean that Sarai was justified in her actions, but it does mean that we are supposed to submit even when those over us misunderstand us or treat us harshly. Because God is sovereign, He can work through even the harshest authority. God promised to make Hagar’s son into a great nation and part of that plan included her living with Sarai and Abram for a time. The Lord is very purposeful in arranging every detail of our lives. Who can tell what plans the Lord might have for us and the authorities He has over us?

Now submission is a hard thing for us (and it’s not just women – submission is hard for all people). We like to be in control. We like to call the shots. And basically it comes down to the fact that we are – here are two more S-words – selfish sinners. We believe we have to right to be understood. We believe we have to right to be treated fairly. We believe we have the right to peace and happiness. We believe we have the right to do what we think is right. So anyone that infringes on that right is wrong and our natural response is to rebel (and this can be in actions, words, attitude and/or thoughts). We live in a culture that demands rights: abortion rights, women’s rights, gay-marriage rights, education rights, etc. That’s why these are such hot issues because when the government or an organization or a religious body tries to place parameters on these so-called rights, they are seen as imposing on peoples’ inherent “rights.”

What the Lord is showing me is that I have no rights. The only "right" I have, the only thing I deserve is to be separated from God and eternally punished, which is what we all deserve (Romans 3:23). When you look at it that way, we are all actually doing far better than we deserve. But God is a gracious and just and merciful God and instead of giving us what we deserve, He sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment and restore us to Him, so that those who believe in Jesus might be saved (Romans 5:8; Acts 16:31). In that great exchange, we believers still don't have any rights in the way we think of rights as Americans. We have been bought with the precious and priceless blood of Christ and we are His (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23; 1 Peter 1:18-21). We give up all our perceived "rights" when we come to Him. Our will is to do His. Plus, He rewards us with a set of different "rights" that are far better than we could have imagined (Rev. 22:14).

Another truth is that there is freedom in submission. When we honor the authorities God has placed over us (whether that be in government or in the work place or at church or in a family), there is actually peace and joy and stability. We, as people, are sheep that need guidance in every area of our lives. Jesus is our ultimate Shepherd, but He has placed people under Him to shepherd His people. This is because we are, in all reality, helpless and pitiful and are incapable of calling the shots for very long in our own lives. So, yeah, those over us may not be perfect, but neither are we. There may be some that may be hard to submit to, but we sometimes aren’t that easy to lead. The difficulties we face in submission are another reminder that we’re not Home yet. We’re still awaiting the perfect King, the perfect Husband, the perfect Teacher, the perfect Leader, Jesus Christ, who will lead us into everlasting peace and righteousness (Philippians 3:20; Revelation 7:17).