This is just a thought that I haven't looked into and am not claiming to be absolute truth. It's just a thought I've had while reading and reflecting on all the people I've known. In Galatians 3 it talks about how there is no longer male and female in Christ, as in each have a soul and are on equal turf through Jesus. For the people I've known that have such issues with the passages talking about wives being submissive to their husbands, it's not a matter of not being equal. The way I've begun to see it is that the husband is an example of God the Father - righteously leading, and the wife is an example of Jesus the Son - submissive as Christ submitted to the Father even through torture and death. It's not about a power battle, it's about knowing God through the relationships we have. A husband and wife are also compared to Jesus and the church. There is one who leads and one who submits. I've seen so many have such an issue with submission, and it's caused several people I know to be angry. It's also given some guys I know a sense of entitlement that they take beyond the point of real righteousness. The life most of us know is so much about status, but does God truly care?
In my opinion, God is more interested in you. He's interested in your past, present and future. He's interested in that event in your life - the one that caused you more pain than you thought possible - that event that changed your life and broke you. The beauty of knowing God is the chance to be submissive, as Christ was. The beauty of God is knowing that you can be completely vulnerable and He will lead you to the light and to freedom. For a long time I've wondered why people are so afraid to be vulnerable and to really spend intimate time with God asking Him how they can be more like Him. The answer I've come to is this: We're afraid. We're afraid of that pain and we're ashamed of being broken. This country has come to a point where status is everything, and few things speak more of you than your accomplishments and the thing we call 'success.' I'm not speaking to everyone that is reading this message because I know some people really get it. But I think it's healthy once in a while to stop and ask yourself: What am I afraid of? What hurts even when I deal with it time and time again? What has broken me?
It's time to stop hiding and to stop making excuses for yourself and it's time to stop living in the dark. Ignorance may be bliss, but it's only because the ignorant don't understand the power and joy of Truth. What is it you are afraid to face?
This verse really convicted me: "Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing..." Galatians 3:3-4
I love the post!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that people don't look at with that first verse is the fact that both the husband and wife are supposed to carry out their roles with love, so it's not a cruel thing for the wife to be submissive to the husband.
I love that you came to that answer! One of the retreats at my church was actually entirely themed around the whole concept of being blessed, broken, and given. I don't think we can really serve God until we let Him break us down first, because we learn so much about Him and His love when we are. Great post! :)