I keep picking all these fun topics. This is probably one of my favorites. The Bible says for wives to submit to their husbands, but so many Christians (women particularly) get all defensive and start saying we don't have to. Well, I think that not only should wives submit to their husbands, but I think it's wonderful...and not a negative thing.
I think I'll start by typing out the verses that deals with this issue, and then explain what I think being a submissive wife means. Then I'll explain why I don't think it's a bad thing.
Ephesians 5:22-25, 33, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.....However, each one of you must also love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
I think it's interesting that the passage starts out by saying "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord..." That should be the first clue to all women that this is not a bad thing. Is it bad to submit to the Lord? No, in fact I think it's quite enjoyable. I was reading in Luke last night, in chapter 7 or 8. It mentioned the fact that some women followed Jesus and His disciples around supporting them, by their own means. I think that means they paid for it themselves, they were volunteers or something. Anyway. They were a support system for those men, and apparently it wasn't a job they hated or they wouldn't have volunteered to do it. Jesus didn't even ask them to, as far as I can tell. But they did it enthusiastically, they were so excited to be the supporting role. It just doesn't seem like being support for men is a job women should hate so much. Every example I've read in the Bible makes it sound like fun. So if wives are supposed to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, why would that be a bad thing?
(I should mention that I don't think it's always bad for women to be leaders, or have some kind of a role in church or other places that is not a supportive role. God definately created women with a variety of dispositions, and some of them are really take charge kind of people. I just don't think women should take charge over their husbands, or other men in the church.)
After that Paul starts comparing the husband/wife relationship to the church/Christ relationship, and I think that's a very good comparison. That relationship is nothing but love all around, so why do girls hate this concept? Sometimes I may have problems submitting to Christ because I'm stubborn, but then I remember how much He loves me and it's not so hard anymore. Plus, I really love Him and serving Him just makes my heart smile really big because I love Him.
I think girls have the wrong impression about what it means to be submissive. They think that means wives are supposed to be their husband's slaves or something. My Dad cooks and cleans just as much as my Mom does, if not more. He doesn't order her around...they're partners, completely equal. What it means to be a submissive wife, is to let your husband make all the decisions regarding the family without throwing a fit if you disagree. That means if the two of you are talking about something, and you can't reach any kind of a decision...the husband gets to decide what happens. Not because He's better or more intelligent or anything like that, but because if someone doesn't have the final say....nothing will ever get accomplished. There has to be someone who is the head of the family, so things get accomplished, otherwise you'll be "discussing" forever. What a waste of time. Isn't it great that God made a Plan to prevent that from happening? I think so.
That's why I don't understand when girls start saying things like, "I can do anything a man can do. He's not smarter than me. He's not better than me. I can do anything he can." Yessum. No one suggested otherwise. Just because you're both equally capable of making decisions, doesn't mean you don't need someone in charge to get things done. Not everyone can be a leader. Sometimes I like to take control, but most of the time I'm the kind of person that falls naturally into the supportive role. I have my moments where I'm a brat, but I enjoy the support type roles. The other roles in life that aren't leadership aren't negative. They're just different, and just as important. If we all had the same job, the world would look a lot different.
There is this really great quote from Elisabeth Elliot. “The universe moves at the command of God, and men and women are at all times under that command, but distinct from robins and lobsters, they have been given the power to disobey. They are capable of doing a great many things they are not supposed to do. The ability to do them is not a command to do them. It is not even permission.”
I also get kind of sad when people start saying, "Since God said wives should submit, that's demeaning. God thinks women aren't valuable, He doesn't like them as much as He likes boys. He thinks they're worthless." That breaks my heart, because feeling God's love for me is more important to me than anything else. I wouldn't be able to survive if God didn't love me.
There are so many verses in the Bible that speak of how precious and valuable women are, in fact He makes us sound so much more valuable than men. It's the men who should be whining, if there were anything to whine about. Here are just a couple verses from ONE chapter in the Bible.
Proverbs 31:10, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her"
Proverbs 31:29-31, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
It doesn't sound like God thinks women are worthless. Notice that not only does God think we're special, but He thinks husbands should praise their wives. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a master/slave relationship to me.
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