Submission
By Westin Lennox
“Follow your heart! Do what makes you happy!” Pithy advice, to be sure, and quite common in the twenty-first century. We’re often told by celebrities, social media, friends, and sometimes even family that the desires of our heart are sacred above all and not to be ignored.
And, on its surface, all of this sounds wonderful! As Americans, this independent spirit runs deeply through our psyche. Our country’s founding document even proclaims that we as American citizens have an inalienable right to “the pursuit of happiness”. I know you’re probably thinking that this is the point where the preacher has finished talking about all of the things that sound really cool and then flips it around to tell you why everything that sounds fun is wrong. I’m not going to do that! There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with happiness or independence on their own.
But both of these pursuits carry an enormous, hidden danger. A danger by which, if we’re not careful, all of us can be swept away. In a bitter twist of irony, a blind pursuit of independence can be a slippery slope into captivity; a constant search for happiness can instead become the pathway into soul-crushing sadness. So what’s the answer? That’s where the discipline of submission comes in.
Jesus himself modeled submission for us in his death on the cross. The night he was betrayed, he prayed fervently that the Father deliver him from his suffering. But when God said “no”, Jesus didn’t run, didn’t flinch, didn’t seek his own will. He submitted to the Father and went to the cross to die for our sins.
Consider this definition of submission:
Submission is the spiritual discipline that frees us from the everlasting burden of always needing to get our own way. In submission we are learning to hold things lightly. We are also learning to diligently watch over the spirit in which we hold others— honoring them, preferring them, loving them. [Nathan Foster: The Making of an Ordinary Saint]
Do you see why this is so important? If we don’t submit our minds, hearts, and actions to God, we become dominated by our own human desires. In striving to be masters of our own fates and architects of our own happiness, we become captives to the need to be in control.
God calls us to more than this! Instead, he commands us to submit in a couple of ways. Let’s dig in here.
Submit to God
James 4:7-10 commands us to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
Like Jesus modeled for us, we have to recognize that the all-knowing, all-powerful God we serve knows better than we do. It’s like when we were kids and our parents told us not to play with something dangerous. I remember my mom told me not to touch her curling iron when I was around 6 years old. What do you think I did? I grabbed that curling iron, and I learned a very hard, but very valuable lesson!
We all have a similar but far more consequential choice to make in submitting to God and yielding our minds, bodies, desires, and wills to His perfection. Jesus said this - If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Mark 8:34).
Submit to Others
Submission to God often also includes submission to other people who may be in authority over us. Consider the church - we’re a gathering of people from all sorts of different walks of life, experiences, places of origin, you name it! When we gather together to worship and encourage each other to grow in the Lord, there can sometimes be some friction that arises. We may not always get along with everyone we’re placed in proximity with.
But look at what God says through Paul in Ephesians 5.
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Our love for our savior leads us to the cross. It calls for us to lay down what we hold dear and follow Jesus. And what do we as humans hold more closely, protect more vigilantly than our pride?
This is where the “rubber meets the road”. Submission as a spiritual discipline means laying aside our preferences, our need for control, and our pride. Instead, when we submit in this way, we live for God, and we live for others! It’s what Jesus had in mind when he said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”?
Note that he doesn’t say “if you act like you love one another”. Jesus doesn’t leave us the option to just go through the motions! Submission isn’t just saying “no” to ourselves, it’s the act of saying “yes” to what is right, true, and good because it is right, true, and good.
We must be careful to be discerning in our submission to ensure that those in whom we place spiritual trust are worthy of it. If a spiritual leader or someone you otherwise respect asks you to join in something wrong, or not God-honoring, this advice does not apply. Run from these people.
In the end, though, God has sent us his Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide. He is all-knowing, ever-present, and perfect. He cannot and will never let us down, and his guidance is always spot on.
REFLECTION
Do I find it easier to submit to God, or to people he’s placed in authority over me? Why?
When the right thing isn’t necessarily the thing I want, what do I usually do? Is this what I should do?
How do I react when I don’t get my way?
What can I do to make sure I have a teachable spirit, willing to learn and receive guidance?