In our culture today, submission has begun to lose its meaning. When Christ calls wives to submit, he is calling us to love our husband through giving him respect. Our husbands need the support of their wife. They may not always deserve it, and it may drive us crazy...but we can do it. We can make our men feel stronger than ever, if we decide to love and respect him.
But some ask, “But what if he asks us to go against our Christian faith?”
“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey to word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” 1 Peter 3:1-2 (ESV)
As a woman who is passionate about submission, I find the very act beautiful. When we submit to our husband, we are also honoring the Lord. Men care about respect from their woman, more so than anything else. Submission is a woman’s way of saying, “I will honor you.”
“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (ESV)
Respecting our husband is our way of loving him. We honor him and the Lord when we fulfill our duty of honoring our husband. Submission is work, and a choice you must make daily. But I promise, it is worth it.
But with submission comes the fact that our men are not perfect. I wanted to share the verses from 1 Peter to tell you that, when our men are not perfect, we honor him through submission anyway. We pray over him, that through our obedience and love, he may be steered towards God again.
Our submission is a daily decision, but also our testimony in our marriages. When we show our husbands grace, we also show him the love of Christ. But maybe sometimes, our men will request us to do something against what Christ has called us to do.
An example of that is Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament. Abraham asked Sarah to lie about being his wife. She obediently did so. Through her obedience Abraham saw his mistake. Her obedience is now a testimony of how God worked in their marriage and their lives. We can now look at that example as a chance to understand a godly marriage.
A woman’s strength is in the way she stands behind her husband, and how she supports her family. It's in the way she is willing to place her life in front of God and her husband, seeking to be obedient is honorable and worthy of praise.
It is hard to submit without exceptions, and it’s hard to understand our men sometimes. We don’t always understand what they’re doing. Sometimes we need time to process and understand him. But in all things, we must honor and love him. He needs respect, and he needs love.
So, we are now asking ourselves, “Where do we draw the line?”
I’ve asked that too. I have always wondered where submission goes too far. My answer is this: submission should not equate to an abusive relationship. When our husbands lose the love factor, and when they stop honoring their wife, we are no longer in a godly, loving relationship. As I say that, I do want to point out that we don’t have to give up on our marriages. When we respect our husbands, and our marriages, we can see our lives together, changed.
So, when asked, “Why do you submit, and what if he goes against your Christian beliefs?”
Remember this, 1 Peter 3:1-5 (ESV)
“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.”
We are called as women to submit and honor our husbands. When he isn’t perfect, we show him through our obedience that God loves him anyway. Our obedience to our husband is our greatest act of love we can give him.
Find the beauty in submission without exceptions.
