I’m sitting here trying to figure out the words to use for this post. I think it’s been along time coming for me but now I am trying to find the right words to express my heart and what I have learned over the years in the least controversial way possible.
People who know me know that I have a “slightly” dominant personality. In fact, I’ve taken the DiSC personality test, (that is a bit of a funny story, the director of the department I worked in asked our department to do it and I got really frustrated saying “it’s not their business” turned out he knew I would react like that and just laughed at me.) and it came out very high “D”. I tend to have strong opinions and be pretty passionate about those opinions.
Dominance – relating to control, power and assertiveness
(Note: Sometimes the word Drive is used in place of Dominance)
Women’s rights is something that can get me riled up, as a teenager and even for part of my 20s that translated to me being “annoyed” about verses like Ephesians 5:22-32, Colossians 3:18-25 and other like those. I didn’t like the idea of submitting to anyone and didn’t really understand the meaning or implication of those verses.
1 Timothy 2:11-12 in particular used to get me pretty riled up. “Let women learn quietly with all submissiveness, I do not permit women to teach or to exercise authority over men; rather she is to remain quiet.”
As I grow and mature I have changed a lot of my view about these verses. (Not the meaning of them, I knew the meaning of them back then to – it just annoyed me) but my feelings about those verses has changed drastically. I used to view submission as a bad thing. I love being in charge and my “nature” didn’t appreciate having to answer to someone else especially a man! (lol)
I am starting to see what submission really means. I have not “arrived” by any means, (My husband could tell you that) I’m a work in progress.
As women we are told to submit to our own husbands as the Church submits to Christ. If we are not submissive then we are showing the world a picture of the church not submitting to Christ. Like it or not a marriage is the perfect picture of Christ and the Church and what you do in your marriage matters. Why do you think Satan spends so much energy attaching marriage?!
Submitting does not mean that I am less intelligent or less important than my husband, not at all! (although in all honesty I AM less intelligent. LOL that’s what happens when you marry a genius) It also doesn’t mean that he walks all over me (again, those who know me are probably laughing at THAT mental picture)
Submitting means that I don’t have to answer for the things he has to answer for. That is freeing really. Of course I still have to answer for myself, but to be the head of the family means to be responsible for it and to have to answer for it and when I think about it that way I would much rather let him do it! He thinks things through more than I do.
Submitting means being obedient to God. Even if your husband is a “moron” or doesn’t love you the way he is supposed to – “as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her”. “A submissive wife can win over an unbelieving husband without words” (1 Peter 3:1) It brings glory to God and shows your husband and the world that there is something different about you. “Women, submit to your husband as to God.” Ephesians 5:22
Submitting to our husbands teaches our children. It teaches out daughters how to act towards their future husbands and teaches our sons what kind of women they should choose.
So what about women as pastors/elders? You’ll have to read my next post for that.
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my2monsters 
Well written Kristina!
thank you! 🙂