The Beauty and Struggle of Submission - Pr Wendy Chiang
𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭.
Marriage is about a story of Christ loving the church. Christ gave Himself up for church. Christ nourishes and cherishes the church and the church submits to Christ. Marriage is meant to mirror His story-a story where husband is called to love like Christ and wives are called to respond with trusting submission.
Yet, many Christian wives struggle with submission. The four common challenges are:
(1) The struggle for control.
At root for the struggle is human's desire to control. It can disrupt relationships and distort into power struggle. God’s design called wives submit to husband as to the Lord. The marriage will become an act of worship, a quiet declaration to trust God and move forward with unity.
(2) Fear of losing identity
Submission can feel like losing one's voice, safety and self- becoming inferior and invisible. But before God, both husband and wife share equal worth, dignity and inheritance. True security is not found in marital roles but in Jesus Christ. By doing so, woman's submission reflect not weakness but strength in Christ.
(3) Attachment wounds
Past relationship shapes our attachment style, influencing how the woman relate the way she responds to her husband. The reactions are rooted not in rebellion but in wounds that need healing. By anchoring the heart in God’s truth, healing can begin. It will help her to grow and rewrite inner script with truth.
(4) Husbands who don't lead well
Some women struggle because they have not experienced Christlike leadership. Husbands are called to show agape love and lead from the cross, not from the throne.
Some women struggle because husband does not follow Christ. Wives are called to behave in a godly way that consistently reflect Christ-patience, gentleness and faithfulness-a quiet strength to influence him.
God did not design a marriage as battle for control, but a dance of love and trust. When lived according to His design, the world will not just see a marriage but a reflection of Jesus Christ.