Submission of the Heart

“ Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.”
-Ephesians 5:22-23
I know what you’re probably thinking…we’ve all read this verse and heard so many sermons on it- not another schpiel…

Sometimes my first reaction to hearing this verse is one of gritting teeth. This scripture has been skewed so often to devalue women and allow men to rule over their wives in a sinful way, that I sometimes prefer not to hear it at all. I once heard of a husband who put his wife in the corner when she didn’t do what he asked…. How far from the purpose of this verse is that!?! I know that part of this cold reaction is a feminist-driven pride that mimics the curse over Eve exactly (yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you).

The other reaction you might be having is: oh, I know that verse well-CHECK, I am good to go. I have that down, no problem! This is usually driven by a self-righteous mindset.

The reality is that God wouldn’t have reminded us this truth through Paul unless we, as wives, needed to hear it.
I want my reaction to this verse to be one of encouragement and conviction. I know that I will never be perfect in this regards, but I want to enjoy the challenge of pursuing His righteousness in this way.

The hardest part of submission for me is the attitude of my heart when submitting. Any women can train herself to follow her husband’s lead exactly as he wishes, but can be only doing it outwardly. I want my heart to be cheerfully submitting. I don’t want my heart to harbor any resentment when he decides to not take my advice and go exactly the opposite way of what I thought was right. Or when the plans I had for the day are turned upside down.

Take some time to think back on the past couple of days, weeks, months- has your heart submitted fully to your husband’s lead or is there still a part of you that believes your route was still the better one (ready to remind him as soon as you get the chance)? Confess those sinful motivations to your husband and explain how difficult it can be to submit. Your husband will only be blessed by your honesty and be a great partner of accountability during future moments when it becomes hard.

Blessings to you in this pursuit of godliness in the attitudes of our hearts!