The Submissive Wife

I was having a conversation with my mother today.  Somehow the topic shifted to the difference between being a submissive wife and passive wife.  Of course I had to get Biblical.  We looked up Ephesians 5:21-33.  Specifically verses 21-24: 

      

    "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

 

When I think about submission, I think of giving oneself.  This includes one's time, energy, love, etc.  Trusting that that person's intentions are those of Christ's intentions for the church.  I strive to be the submissive wife by catering to my husband's needs (this is more than physical), taking care of the house and our daughter, supporting him and loving him.  At the same time, he is to provide, support, protect, love, and lead us.  We are equal partners and do not make decisions individually.  Let us not loose focus on what is important. 

 

Just as the church submits to Christ...The church is to trust in Him and lean not to their own understanding.  The church looks to Christ for protection, wisdom, to provide, etc, just as a baby looks to his/her parents for those same things.  Christ loved us so much that He gave His body as a living sacrifice.  He followed His Father's instructions and submitted to His calling.

 

I hope this makes sense to you.  Now on to passive.  Passive is defined as submitting without resistance, inert, or not reacting.  The root word is pass (to go by, run over).  In no way am I passive nor do I tell any woman to let a man treat her any kind of way.  If that man is of God and was sent by God for you, his actions would be lining up with the Word of God.

 

I encourage each of you to continue reading Ephesians.  Being submissive is not an overnight transformation.  It is a process.  I begin training myself to be a submissive wife before I got married.  I looked at other submissive wives that I knew, saught wisdom from Christian couples, and re-examined my own relationships.  I think a big part of making it work is to learn your spouse also.  I learned my husbands habits and began to anticipate his needs. 

 

I can not leave you without looking at verses 28 & 29:

 

    "²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body."

 

Through this process you will also have to learn to love yourself, inside and out.  You can not fully commit or give yourself to someone, if you are constantly doubting yourself.  I have to remind my mom & friends not to self-destruct.  Let go of the past, it can not be changed.  God places people & opportunities in your life for a reason.  You must consult with Him on that reason and determine if it will develop into a season.  If so, will that season become a lifetime.

 

I pray that you are blessed by this.