We’ve softened ourselves. I think because of the world we live in, we think that Biblical submission is the absence of confidence and decisiveness. The word submission brings in feelings of protest and crossed arms. We huff at the word and scoff at it. We get uncomfortable. We think of it as shrinking. As secondary. As weakness.

I remember when God was promoting me to submit to my husband last year, I felt conflicted. I wanted him to lead but he had let me down. God had made me and designed me to take charge and lead and get things done. I had wrongfully lead our house for about 10 years and I remember thinking “How can God ask me to do this and design me to be a powerhouse all in the same breath?”. We question whether we can be bold and fierce and still walk in obedience.

Judges 4-5 tells us a quick story of a woman named Jael. In a place where others hesitated, she acted with confidence and decisiveness. She didn’t have a big title. She wasn’t a judge or a general. She wasn’t even an Israelite. She stepped in and delivered a victory for God’s people, thus fulfilling the prophecy from Deborah that a woman would take the victory. She ran a tent peg through Sisera’s head when given the opportunity, which delivered victory to the Israelites. She was strong. She was strategic and fearless.

And she was right where God placed her.

See, biblical submission is not about becoming smaller or quieter, it’s about becoming aligned.

While she didn’t wait for permission, she was also not self seeking or rebellious. She was aligned with God’s plans. Submission is about who you trust. When a woman submits to God and her husband who is lead by God, she becomes incredibly dangerous to the enemy. Her story reminds us that being under authority doesn’t mean we are without influence. She used what she had and her situation. She didn’t hesitate.

Submission to your husband is not inferiority. The whole point is to create order and unity and a trust in God’s plans for your household. A strong woman doesn’t loose her voice. You can be gentle and unshakable. You can be supportive and discerning. You can be respectful and courageous.

Strength and submission are not enemies. They are partners. See, strength might look quiet and it might look bold. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of ordeal. I’m not saying every woman needs to be loud and bold. I’m just saying you don’t have to shrink your calling to be obedient. We have to be close enough to God to know when it’s time to speak or take action and when it’s time to stay quiet and plan.

Jeal simply stepped into what God has already set in motion. Submission to your husband doesn’t replace your submission to God, it simply flows from it. Submission is stewardship. Submission is faith. Submission is being purposeful. When we do this, our identity is no longer dependent on our role, but it is rooted in Christ.

In God’s kingdom, the strongest women are the ones submitted to Him.

I pray that I am a woman who walks in both strength and surrender…

Under The Sun.