Uh Oh.

             During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:7-9)

 

            Uh oh.

            Submission.

            Obedience.

            If we are going to imitate Jesus, eventually, we have to face this aspect of His life. He faced things He didn’t want to have to face. He did things He probably would have preferred not to do, and didn’t do things He probably would have liked to. And when He said, “I don wanna,”

            And the Father said, “OK, but are you gonna?”

            Jesus did.  (OK, that’s a horrible paraphrase.)

            Most people I know, or know about, aren’t fond of the ideas of submission or obedience. It’s assumed that if you submit, you’re brainwashed or weak and the one to whom you submit is oppressive. And if you obey, either you’re a brown-noser or the one you obey must be oppressive (or both!) So, both the one who submits or obeys, and the one to whom that person submits are seen as negatives. But, at the same time, we are quick to select certain individuals or types who are supposed to submit to us and to obey us, and heaven forbid anyone claim that we are oppressive.

            I’ve asked some people who speak badly about submission and obedience (usually in connection with a male spouse) why they married someone they hated and who was so entirely untrustworthy.

            Their response gave me the impression that it wasn’t that their spouse was hated or untrustworthy but that it was either the concept or some people’s toxic use of the idea (either to force others to submit/obey or to vilify the ideas) that turned them so entirely against either idea. In other words, much of this goes back to the “I would be like the Most High” problem that started in Eden.

And I struggle with submission and obedience, too. I don’t even like to submit to myself or obey myself unless I tell myself to do something I want to do. But when it comes to a question of submission or obedience, maybe we should ask ourselves what we’re resisting – the idea of submission, the person (including God), or the thing. It’s silly on our part or not to submit to a perfectly reasonable request made by someone we trust just because it involves submission or obedience. In other words, when we want to resist obeying or submitting, it might help to engage our brains instead of reacting according to a habit.

And if we can’t find it in ourselves to submit to or obey God, we either need to talk to God about it or stop pretending we’re Christians.