Are You Following Directions?

Imagine you are riding in the passenger seat of a luxury car, your husband in the driver seat, and a state-of-the art navigation system in the dashboard. You are taking a road trip somewhere neither of you have ever been, so you decide you will bring a road map along (just to be on the safe side). As your husband is listening to the navigation system you are also checking the road map (frequently giving him directions you think are helpful). But he can’t hear the navigation system over your “helpful” directions so you end up lost. This sounds silly, but we do it all of the time. 

While our husbands are trying to listen to God, we can’t help but try to take over.

No matter what you have been told, “submit” is not a bad word. As a matter of fact, it is one of the greatest words in relation to a marriage. Women are accustomed to bearing the brunt of responsibility in most of their relationships, so the natural progression is to carry that over into our marriages. As daughters, we are typically looking out for our younger siblings and as friends we have to be the shoulder for our friends to cry on. As we become mothers, you have the sole responsibility of carrying our children in a bodies and making decisions that will provide them with nutrition, safety, and care. As of this was not enough to break us down, most of us put on the hat as head of the household without even knowing it. I would like to help you relax in submission.

The question is not whether or not we should submit, but how and why we should submit. I’m glad you asked! The blueprint for submission is found in two different chapters in 1 Peter. Chapter 2 outlines the submission we must have to every human authority that has been placed to rule over us. I use the term “rule” loosely because God is our Super Ruler. We are commanded to submit to the laws of the land we live in, our supervisors at work, and to our pastors at church. This is because God has given them the responsibility to make the final decisions for the people they rule over, which also means that He will hold them accountable for those decisions. I don’t know about you but that’s a relief to me, I can relax and submit to the laws that I find useless because in the end I will not be held accountable for the laws; just my willingness to obey them.

When it comes to marriage, Chapter 3 verse 1 gives wives a clear picture of how we should submit to our husbands. The New Living Translation says it best “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words…”. That makes me leap for joy since my husband has the authority over me, God is ultimately going to hold him responsible for the decisions he makes for our family. That is not an extra responsibility that we should want. Submission is not about being told what to do; it’s about trusting God that He has placed a capable man as the head of your household. If you didn’t consult with God before you got married and made the decision for yourself, your faith tells you that God is still in control. Your faith and behavior should show the goodness of Jesus to your husband and by submitting to the will of God, you will submit to your husband.

So, just relax and enjoy the ride; they have everything under control.

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott