I spent many years thinking I knew a lot about submission and did a pretty good job of it. When God came to me with a request, I pondered it carefully and made the best decision that I was comfortable with, and patted myself on the back for every little crumb I gave God. When I think back to all those years it makes me somewhat embarrassed and completely ashamed that I did this and still managed to be so proud of myself. I wonder what God thought about that? Did He roll his eyes at that silly, pompous human being? Or get angry? Or something else? He did get my attention eventually and in no uncertain terms set me straight on how far off the mark I really was.
Looking back, it seems that submission involved a lot of other things I needed to know first, especially:
1) Humility. I can't be submissive to His will if I somehow think I know best, or need some time to weigh which of us, God or me, is the wiser in any given situation.
2) I had to learn to hear what God was telling me, in whatever way He was using. It takes listening, as well as talking, in prayer. It takes daily Bible reading.
3) Discernment. I think you have to know without a doubt that what you're hearing is of God and not of your own willfulness. And if I don't know what my Bible says, discernment is going to be hard.
4) Courage. If you have to weigh obedience against your comfort level, you'll never be submissive.
In humility I had to learn to empty myself out completely at His feet and trust whatever direction He is taking me, even if (or especially when) I don't understand it or like it. Without a doubt, there's more to learn and He will indeed continue to school me, for which I say, "Thank You, Lord."
No comments:
Post a Comment