Husbands and Wives: Submission

     What does the Bible say about husbands and wives? Why is it so important to read God's Word (the Bible) about our marriages? Husbands and wives have a responsibility to allow God to lead and grow their marriage. Let me state that this is where many have fought God; people want to control how their marriage should look and feel. This is not God's will for husbands and wives. So then the big word that many (including myself) have run away from is "submission". Yeah, I said it. Submission has been viewed as the big, bad word that ruins relationships for many years now; however, this should not be so.

     Submission, (in my own words), is standardly defined as obeying the command of those who have authority over you. Now, the biblical explanation of the word "submission" in regards to husbands and wives can be found in the following verses amongst many others:

• Ephesians 5:22-33
• I Corinthians 11:3
• Colossians 3:18-19
• Titus 2:3-7
• I Peter 3:1-7

     Typically, the wife can be the one to feel as if she is just another doormat for her husband to use as necessary. In some cases, the husband may feel like his wife will listen to the words of others before considering his point of view. In either circumstance, we have to realize that God never created submission for the purpose of one being in "control" of the other. Being submissive requires the willingness of one person to take care of the needs of others before him- or herself [Romans 12:13, Philippians 2:3-4]. We must realize that we all have a responsibility to love, honor, and respect each other as if Christ Himself were standing right in our midst.

     Let me give you a real example that just took place not too long ago. My husband and I were out looking for household goods. There were likes and dislikes that he and I both had about various items. When purchase time came along, we began to feel the pressure of whether or not we were making the right decisions. He wanted one thing, and I wanted another. Finally, we collaborated and ended up wanting the same household items. Guess what? Another pressure began to come down on us. Now that we had decided upon which household items to purchase, we began to bump heads about the color pattern, price range, etc. Eventually, the entire conversation came down to me stating that I would support whatever decision he made because I trusted him to not lead us astray on the size of the purchase. Check this out ya'll: as much as I wanted to go on and on about how this and that was not right, I decided to shut my mouth and try a better approach...trust my husband. Understand that his knowing of my trust in him opened his heart and mind up even more to allowing me to pick out the household items that I wanted. Not only that, but God made it to where what I picked was what he wanted as well...color and all!

     Submission is not about doing right for a second so that you may do whatever you want later for a season. It is about doing what is right in God's eyesight: period. When we submit to Him and His way for us, every thing will work out better.

Target: Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church [Ephesians 5:28-32]. Wives, submit to your own husbands as unto the Lord and respect him [Ephesians 5:22-23, 33].