Love and Submission

Last Sunday, Chad hit a “hot topic” so to speak. In continuance with the Colossians series, the next scripture verses in line happened to be Colossians 3:18-19 which talks about husbands loving their wives as well as wives submitting to their husbands. Of course, Chad also pointed out that in Ephesians 5:21, Paul also told us to submit to one another out of reverence to Christ. In other words, submission is a mutual respect and not something that should be demanded or lorded over another person. We need to remember the definition of love as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which tells us that love is patient and kind. It’s not envious, boastful, proud, rude, selfish, or easily angered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs and it delights not in evil but rather, in truth. Love protects, trust, hopes, and perseveres.

The more we are “with” Christ and hidden in Him, the better we understand real love. And likewise, the opposite is true. The more we are just trying to do things on our own, the more we miss the point and the less we understand real love. Chad said that when we just do “the best we can” we are devoid of “with”. When we just do our “best” in the flesh (separate from God) we can’t do a thing. Jesus said in John 15:5 that He is the vine and we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can’t do anything. I know that’s true, because I never have true success when I try to do things on my own. Nothing ever lasts when I do things on “my” terms. I am nothing without Christ!! If He were not in me, I would have no fullness, no life, no joy, no anything. I would be empty, lonely, and my life would be meaningless.

The more we accept this concept, the better our lives will be (and particularly in our relationships). As we all know, it is very hard to love people on our own. Speaking from experience, there are a lot of people that I have struggled to love - but through the grace of God, and Him living in me, He has enabled me to do so beyond my human ability. I’m so grateful for that!!

Chad said that sometimes, it’s especially hard to love in our marriages when we begin seeing just how different we are. Aside from the fundamental differences between men and women, he also described the concept that many of you might already be familiar with. He said he got it from a book called “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage”. I also think there is another book that describes this concept called “Men Are Like Waffles; Women Are Like Spaghetti”. In other words, men are very compartmentalized and women are very connected. They have these “boxes” in which everything is separated and basic. For women, however, everything is connected - like a long piece of tangled wire or spaghetti. Men’s boxes don’t “touch” but for us, EVERYTHING touches!! We can go from topic to topic, but men only focus on one at a time (which is why we can talk for hours and hours and most men usually can’t). ;)

Chad used a lot of humor and a lot of his own experiences to describe these concepts. So, if you’re curious to know, you can click on the link provided to learn more!! It was a really great message, and I enjoyed it a lot!!

Grace and peace to all of you!!