December 12th, 2017

Ephesians 5:21-22

“submitting to one another out of reverence of Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

              This past week I listened to a sermon on “figuring out life: as a wife”. In the sermon he spoke from Ephesians 5:21-33.  It was crazy because I had listened to this message back in March from my home church but at the time I was still living a split life between God and the world and my heart was so hard that it really was just me sitting in the service not taking anything being said to heart. But after listening to it again I took in so much and it really ministered to me. It is especially relevant in this season right now, the practice of submitting and serving.

God has really been teaching me what it means to submit and serve with a pure heart since July in Guatemala. I remember when I got there, to Guatemala, I was so confused and upset because I really didn’t understand true submission and what that biblically should look like. Since I am from Vancouver, Canada it is quite liberal, women are told that they should have dreams and aspirations of becoming CEO’s, lawyers, women of power. It is an insult to think that a mom should stay home with their kid after having it, the man can get maternity leave instead, so the women can go back to work and provide for the family.  So naturally growing up with that all around me (my parents didn’t teach me this but schools, and society did.) I was in a bit of a shock. But as I learned what the role of a women is biblically I started to see how natural it felt and how freeing it was. I didn’t realize that submission isn’t inequality. You can still battle for your rights and you can still be equal, but submission is truly just putting others before yourself. It is important for me to remind myself that Jesus came to serve not be served, so by serving I am becoming more like Him. These concepts are ones that I am getting to act out with my team mates here, even when I am tired and drained from the day still I want to serve, still I want to press on and show them respect by putting them before myself. I pray that God would use this time to refine me and prepare me to be a woman of Him and prepare me for marriage one day so that I can serve my husband well.

Application: Do the breakfast dishes every morning this week.