Does submitting to your husband ever scare you with its frightening consequences? My husband has never asked me to do anything that was sinful. But he has asked me many times to do things--or to let my children do things--that were frightening to me.
There have been smaller frightening things too.
The list goes on and on. So many things frighten me because--like you--I relish control and those are things I have little or no control over. When my kids were smaller, one of their favorite things to do was play "mattress" with Daddy. All four little bodies would scramble onto a twin-size mattress on the hardwood floor and then he would wrench it from side to side while they tried to keep their balance. It sounds so mild when I describe it. But--really?--four little bodies on one slip-sliding mattress? There were giggles and screams and howls and owies every time, but the screaming would always dissolve into pleas of "More, Daddy, please?" And I couldn't handle it. Every time I watched it, I was sure that we would lose a child. It got so bad that they would make me leave the room (and preferably the house) before they would start their little game. Okay, so now you know the dirty truth: I'm a worrier. I can't help it. My mind is flagrantly creative, imagining horrific results to a hundred different ifs in any given situation. And it doesn't like to keep to paths of light and sanity and reality. No, it likes to venture into dismal valleys of fear and meander around, gaping at the fearsome scenery. Which is exactly why I need I Peter 3:6. It took me years to understand why that verse was there and what it means. I understood the submission in verse 1, the respect in verse 2, the whole concept of adorning in verses 3 and 4, and the hop back to submission in verse 5. (I may not adequately live it, but I understand it and do my best.) But then in verse 6, out of nowhere, we bump into a whole new topic that is seemingly unrelated: fear. Which left me scratching my head in puzzlement for a long time, until one day I realized that "not be afraid with any amazement" could also be translated as "do not fear anything that is frightening." Suddenly it clicked. How many times was submission challenging to me, not because I didn't love my husband and respect him, but simply because I was afraid of the possible result of submission? You know those moments when God opens your eyes and gives you a whole new perspective on life and (more particularly) your sin? That was one of those moments. Submitting to my husband when I was on board with his agenda was easy. The test of my submission was whether I would willingly submit when I feared something that was truly frightening. And that was when I finally understood why Sarah was the posterchild of submission. Her husband asked her to do some really wild and wooly stuff. Abraham may have been a patriarch, but he was also a man and thus a sinner. Try to imagine. . .
Many things happened to Sarah that could have frightened her. In reading about Sarah's challenging life, I can see that many of my fears are, in comparison, shallow. (Not to mention, often far-fetched.) But there was one other little gem of a verse that impacted me. While I tend to fret about the future, the godly woman of Proverbs 31 laughs at it (verse 25). The only fear in her heart is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 31:30). Apparently, the fear of the Lord has the power to knock away all other fears. When we as wives truly fear the Lord, we can live fearlessly, even when it comes to submission to our own husbands. My goal, since I have come to understand these verses, has been to fear God and reverence my husband without fear of the results. In other words, "Fear fearlessly." I fail often, but I live with that mission. Does the thought of submitting to God or your husband scare you? Will you join me in trying to fear fearlessly? More For Wives:
Rebecca Even
6/18/2022 01:27:57 pm
My struggles in this area are my greatest weakness as a wife and believer. My fear in the decisions that my husband makes causes me great anxiety and concern. He is a believer but very immature in his walk and I see many of his decisions grounded in wordly wisdom rather than in Christ. I know that submission as a wife is commanded by the Lord towards our husbands, and yet I wrestle constantly with the consequences of this command. Please pray for me in this area. I have extreme fear. Comments are closed.
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AuthorLaura Berrey and her husband Tim are missionaries with Gospel Fellowship Association. They share a passion for missions which has taken them to several countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They currently minister in the Philippines. Archives
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