I always thought that a man being the head of the house was somehow unscriptural. I had my own theories which I thought were based soundly on the word of God that man and woman were totally equal. You could almost say I despised when people would preach on how the man was the spiritual leader, blah blah, etc. My skin would crawl. And I was sure it just wasn't right. Up till a week ago.
This week the Lord's been teaching me different things. I started reading the book by Rick Warren The Purpose Driven Life, and somewhere in there my eyes fell upon the word "submit". And I realized that 95% of my struggle was a struggle against God--while giving him "lip service" and being a hearer of the word (not a doer), I fought with all that was in me to submit to him.
That verse in the Bible says "Submit yourselves therefore to God". That was like, wow! And I realized that while 95% of my struggle was fighting with God, the last five percent was "fighting with man" :boxing: I refused to take the lower seat, refused to give God a chance, cause I had to be strong.
I think I can liken myself to Jacob fighting with the Angel, not letting go of the Angel till the Angel blessed him, and he fought with the angel all night. But enough is enough, and finally the angel touched his foot and from then on he could not walk on that foot--as I recall he became partially lame or something.
So, I know that all those men who I pushed away or did not respect are not going to see this post. But I know God is. And this is my declaration to God that from now on I will try and honor him, and he who He created. Whether the man is a friend, waiter, boss, a co-worker or beggar, I'd like to see them through God's eyes. Most of all, I'd like to submit to God, that's super cool, and then he can help me change those attitudes in me that are not good and are second nature. All things are possible with God, right?
If you can see the guy following God then submit to him (not in everything of course, he doesn't own you!); if he isn't following God then you can't submit to him *and* God so choose God.
If you've watched Prince Caspian there's a bit at the end where Aslan asks Lucy why she didn't follow him if she saw him. She replies that the older ones didn't see him and wanted to go a different way so she followed them instead...
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
Ephesians 5:22-26 (KJV)
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
ENF, that is so cool that you had a breakthrough/revelation in how you see Godly relationships :applause:
God's punishment after the fall from grace of Adam and Eve Genisis 3:16 (NASB) "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.�
When it says, "Yet your desire will be for your husband," it is talking about wives not wanting to submit to their husbands, which is what brings about the, "And he will rule over you," part. You are definitely not alone as someone who struggled with the idea of a woman submitting to her husband. Nearly all women struggle with it. That is part of what happened when Adam and Eve sinned. I think it is awesome that you have been able to finally see past it because that is a huge step toward having a successful Godly relationship!
