Submission is, in fact, a discipline that all Christians are called to....
This principle of denying one's self for others – specifically sacrificing one's own desires for the desires of others – runs through out the New Testament: 'Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor' (1 Cor. 10:24). 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Luke 9:23). The 'daily' relates this cross bearing to everyday vocations.
The wife is called to submit to her husband – not because of who her husband is, and certainly not because her husband is always right, but because Christ himself stands hidden behind her marriage. The phrase 'as to the Lord' reminds both husbands and wives that marital authority ultimately belongs to the Lord. In fact, when the wife submits to her husband – saying, in effect, 'not my will, but yours, be done' – she is submitting to Christ, who is hidden in her husband.
Submission does not mean that the wife has no influence with her husband or in her family, or that her will has to be broken, nor does it mean that wives have no say in family decisions. It does mean that a wife is part of a mission (sub-mission) with her husband. Missio is the Latin term for 'send.' A wife is sent with her husband in a particular vocation by a loving God actively involved in both of their lives.
Submission can be daunting and difficult. And to an extent, it should be, even as headship and 'giving himself up' are daunting to husbands. These are spiritual disciplines, exercised not in a monastery, with its vows of obedience, but in everyday life.
Submission has to do with denying oneself and taking up the cross (Mark 8:34). It is an act of faith, of trusting God above our own perceptions. Here again we can remember just how close our God is to us.
What makes this possible is that Christ is hidden in marriage, so that both the wife and the husband are submitting to him."
The Office of Wife, Family Vocation, by Gene Edward Veith Jr. and Mary J. Moerbe, from pgs. 64-69
This is so good. It reminds me of the woman who said "My goal in life is to help my husband succeed. "
ReplyDeleteSubmit myself - AS TO THE LORD. That's is convicting every time I hear it! Thank you.
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