There is no doubt that as adults we do not like
to be held accountable or submit to authority. I think there is something that
is ingrained in us to fight against it.
Even as a young child, I tended to push the boundaries of authority. My only
saving grace was that I wanted my teachers and bosses to like me. I knew that in order for them to like me, I
should do what they asked me to.
However, I often submitted with the wrong attitude.
As I have ‘matured’ or gotten older (gasp), I
have recognized that there is a deeper, underlying core belief that I must grab
ahold of in order to have access to God’s rich blessing in my life. That’s submission. Just the mere mention of that word makes me
cringe. Right? I am a fully competent woman who knows how to
do stuff. I am surely capable of making
things happen on my own. Why do I need to listen to someone else tell me how
something should be done?
I once heard a radio commercial for the air force
that has stuck with me: “Every choice I
make has a benefit or a consequence.”
Every choice. Every single choice. If you were
to ask me for one lesson that has framed my life the last 2 years, it would
have to be learning the true value of my choices particularly in relation to
submission. The blessings that flow out
of a submitted heart are so powerful. And
I’m not talking about the kind of submission that says, “Sure, I’ll do it,” but
then grumbles behind the boss’s back. I’m talking about owning your boss’s idea like
it was your own. I’m talking about realizing
that by embracing submission, you bring the favor of the Lord to your life and
your work. FAVOR. How can we strive for less?
Submission is a conduit for unity.
The easiest and most common thing for us to do when we get a ‘suggestion’ from our boss is to say ‘yes’, but then grumble
and/or not do it once the meeting is over.
I am going to be very bold and say that if you’re doing that then you
are wasting your time there. Don’t fool
yourself into believing that God will bless your work. You are marking time until your replacement
gets ready. I have seen evidence of this
in my own life. I don’t know how many
times I have met with my boss, and he has asked me to do something I disagree
with. After I have argued my point and
lost :-), I have a choice to make.
What am I going to do? What will my choice be? I have chosen to be submitted. Most times, others don’t
even know it’s his idea. I own it like I birthed that baby myself. And one other thing, on my task list, it’s at
the top. I don’t doddle. I am effective and efficient. Then, I call him to let
him know it’s done and how I did it. I have made myself irreplaceable and
valued. And in that area of submission,
God has blessed my efforts. I have seen because of how I have chosen to act and
behave that I have been a conduit for unity in my work environment. To me, that‘s
much more valuable than having my own way.
Submission channels humility
Proverbs 18:12
Haughtiness
goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
God has used this verse in my life more than any other. Oftentimes, we
want to go to others when we feel like we’ve been wronged or misunderstood by
our bosses. We need affirmation that they are crazy and we are right. I believe that when we submit our concerns to
God and truly act with humility by keeping our grievances to ourselves, it
opens a door of favor (honor) in our lives that is unparalleled. When we actively engage humility, its
trusting God to handle the big stuff. It’s giving Him ultimate control over our
lives. And let’s face it, that’s where He wants us to be. Then, when we ultimately trust Him with that
kind of humility and submission, He will bless our socks off.
Submission opens the door for blessings
Most fundamentally, God is not a demander; God is a
giver.
When we work with God, God works through us. You bet I want to work with God. I have learned that most of the time that
means I have to embrace submission.
Really embrace it, and trust that He will work things out through me and
in me for His divine glory.
