At the Heart of Submission

Submission. What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you see or hear that word? I'm sure Websters Dictionary has a definition for this word, and I've quoted him a time or two in this blog, however in this post I hope to provide a fresh perspective on this word and what it means to incorporate it into our day to dayness.

To submit to someone or something, means to put aside your needs, desires, thoughts and ambitions in the form of a physical action. When a woman gets married, she has vowed to God, her husband and everyone in attendance that she will submit to her husband and his leadership, trusting and believing that that her husband is following and being submissive to Jesus Christ. An individual who wants a paycheck has to submit to the rules and regulations of a company (whether or not he agrees to them) if he wants to keep his job. 

My favorite example of submission in the Bible is the story of Ruth and Naomi. After Naomi's husband died, as well as her two sons ( one of which was married to Ruth), Ruth boldly declared "Don't urge me to leave you or turn my back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16)  Willingly Ruth laid aside everything she knew and loved, and submitted to Naomi and the relationship that she had with her.

However, since it is Christmas, the story of Mary resonates in my heart. At the humble age 13 or 14, Mary submitted to the greatest plan ever to be placed on this earth; to carry the Son of God. For centuries Mary has captured the attention of the Christian church, and her character and life have been analyzed on so many levels. But for this post, I want to focus primarily on the submission that she had to the Lord. The only question that she asked is "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34). However, noticed that she didn't question the wisdom or the reasoning, only the mechanics of how such an event could take place in her young, untouched body.

As I reflect on all the events that have taken place within this last year, I am humbled at how I have not submitted to the will of Christ as willingly as Mary did during that precious time in history. There have been many times where I have just muttled through and done my very best to accept my circumstances, realizing that if this is how God sees fit, there is no point in trying to change any of it. But as the bitterness, anger, hurt and depleting level of hope peel away, my heart is revealed to expose the fact that what is missing is the humble and honest act of submitting to Christ and His perfect timing and plan for my life. That my friend, is the heart of Submission. Surrendering your life to Christ without ever knowing what the outcome will be, and trusting that you are where you need to be at just this moment in time.

As we approach Christmas weekend, I encourage you to lay aside the commercialism, the busyness, the gifts, the food, and everything that casts a shadow on the true meaning of Christmas. I challenge you to examine areas in which God is calling you to submit to His plan, His will, His timing, His way. 

Merry Christmas!