Submission... for sissies?

I cringe when I hear the word, "submit."

It sounds so ominous and intimidating, like a teacher walking around the classroom while students take a test.

In high school, if someone told me I had to submit, I would say, "Submission is for sissies." When I think of submission, I think of giving up. I think of surrendering the white flag and hanging your head down as your opponent walks all over you.

Newsflash: THAT'S NOT WHAT SUBMISSION REALLY IS.

...What?

Foster puts it like this: "Submission... is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way."

For me, sometimes that is a very hard thing. I am a somewhat spoiled child (even though we may have had a simple childhood as I've said previously, that didn't mean that our parents didn't spoil us) who gets her way often.

It takes a lot for me to admit that I am wrong. I will own up to that weakness in my life. Therefore, thinking of submission as a freedom from getting our own way is something of an epiphany for me. Instead of being a pushover, having a submissive spirit is allowing yourself to love another person completely. I like that. I like that a lot.

Therefore, this week I planned to practice submission by generally having a submissive spirit. I did well at the beginning of the weekend when I began my practice. On Friday, my laptop crashed. I took a deep breath and set it aside to think about it later when I could take it to the IT department. I also went to get church directory pictures taken, and the schedule was way behind, so my family and I had to wait much longer than anticipated. I took that as an opportunity to be patient with the staff by not complaining. On Saturday, someone asked me for a ride to a party and even though I was not planning on driving, I said yes, because it was a way to show that person love. On Sunday night, I had to listen to someone try to explain the Bible who honestly is not that engaging of a speaker. I took that as an opportunity to honor that speaker by paying attention as best I could and praying for a patient heart. And in the beginning of the week, when I had to encounter a professor I can't stand stand, I prayed for a submissive spirit that would allow me to show the proper respect to them and not complain about everything they said.

I was by no means perfect this week. I complained and rolled my eyes and put in my two cents when I had the chance, even if it was unnecessary  But it was during these instances that I reminded myself to practice submission and try to approach life with a content and joyful spirit, no matter the circumstances. As I practiced, I thought, "Why can't I have this attitude all the time?" It was really good for me, especially since this was the last week of classes and I had plenty of things to stress me out. This was a great discipline to end the semester on. I plan to continue to remind myself to let go of my ego and let God take over. It surprised me how often I was able to remind myself this week to practice submission, and I fully believe it was God working on my heart. This is a lesson I need to learn, and God knows that, so he was really driving the point home. I learned that submission isn't for sissies. It takes some guts to let others have their way.


Peace to you,
Sara Joy

P.S. Don't worry, even though it's the end of the semester this isn't my last post! A few more to come. :)