Category: Engaged

1) Submission is about alignment
Every single time I have failed to submit to my husband, my plans have backfired. If I’m ever stubborn, or if I trust my own leadership, there are negative consequences. These are not always immediate consequences, but they’re consequences often times seen months later than the decision. This happens both naturally and supernaturally.
I have a small-scale example of this. Throughout our marriage, all 8 months of it, my husband has been asking me to wear a head scarf to bed. He’s asked this of me because it keeps my hair out of his face. I would never do it because I was too lazy to get out of bed, find the scarf and wrap my hair. I never would have imagined something so small making much of a difference in my life.
Lately, although, I’ve begun wearing the head scarf to bed. What have I found? Instead of having stubborn alfalfa hairs that stick up no matter what amount of heat or large helping of product can fix, and instead of taking 15 minutes on my hair in the morning, my hair takes 5 minutes, tops. My hair lays flat and is easily manageable.
My head scarf experience is also very symbolic of the scripture:

1 Corinthians 11:3-5 The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! 

In our culture, we do not wear head coverings. Women’s wearing of head coverings was once a cultural religious practice that is symbolic of women’s submission to their husbands. But when I put my head scarf on at night, I put the symbolism into practice. I think of the act as saying to my husband: “I trust your leadership and I care about how well you sleep. I trust that even when I take and extra step to serve you, blessing is coming. I’m submitted to you.”
Now this is a very natural example. Other spiritual examples are too personal to share, but I’ve learned time and time again that blessings come, naturally and supernaturally, when a wife is in alignment with her husband, and her husband is in alignment with Christ.
2) Submission is for your protection
Women were designed physically weaker than men. We don’t have huge biceps, we’re often shorter and smaller in stature. Women were also designed emotionally weaker than men. Women are more prone to cry. They’re typically more sensitive. They can become hormonal around menstruation and during pregnancy.  Men are called to spiritual leadership because God has created women to be more fragile. God has created women to be protected.

1 Peter 3:7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Women are the weaker vessel. We are certainly equal. We are certainly powerful. We are certainly strong. But we are more at risk for attack while not submitted to our husbands. Satan will prey on the weak link in order to derail a marriage. He will most often not try to attack the head of a marriage first, which is the husband, but he will often take jabs at the woman to get to the man, in order to destroy the marriage.
This is why submission is so important. Submission gives your husband an opportunity to spiritually protect you. Satan can obliterate the spiritual life of a wife who stands independent of her husband’s leadership, because her stubbornness gives him an opportunity to attack while she remains uncovered by the protection of her husband. When a wife is submitted to her husband, Satan has to go through the husband to get to the wife. When a husband is submitted to Christ, Satan has to go through Christ to get to the husband to get to the wife. Submission ultimately protects you.
3) Submission is a display of power
Unity ultimately brings marriage its power. When the husband is in submission to Christ and the wife is submitted to the husband, a three-strand cord is created.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Wives, you have less power alone than you have with your husband and Christ. Submission ultimately strengthens the spiritual power that a marriage holds through unity. If you only remember one thing from this article remember this: Divided we fall, united we stand.