Toy Stories: Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head — Real Roles vs. Interchangeable Parts - Tuesday
Today’s Verse
Colossians 3:18–19
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. (NLT)
One of the greatest evils the world has ever seen is the misuse of power. It’s obvious on the macro-scale of atrocities: genocide, slavery, sex-trafficking. But there is a much more subtle version of this kind of abuse. It can sometimes even parade in the guise of a seemingly innocent question, one you may have even asked this week: “Who’s in charge here?” This question, once answered, places people neatly in a box. Everyone else gets filed into their appropriate spaces. And, if that position of power is absolute, things can go very wrong, very quickly. The heart behind the question makes all the difference. Hold that thought.
As we pick up the conversation in Colossians 3, we find two words: submit and love. Lots of couples I’ve counseled have bristled at that word, submit. I’ve seen far too many men zero in on the phrase, “Wives, submit,” who proceed to try to control, manage, dominate, and manipulate in ungodly ways. It’s completely unhealthy, especially disguised as a religious requirement. At the same time, I’ve seen women who have nearly helplessly lived under un-Christlike leadership, thinking it was somehow God’s desire for them. To lead people away from this gross misinterpretation of the text, I ask them to flip over a few pages to Ephesians 5:21, which further clarifies the discussion, reminding men and women both to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
So, who’s in charge? Well… let me put this gently but clearly: No matter who’s reading this today… It’s not you. But it’s also not your spouse. God is the preeminent authority and the One who is ultimately in charge, period. He demonstrated His power by stepping in as the supreme servant (check out John 13). He’s a good Father, the best leader, an influencer without comparison. Not by bullying or throwing His weight around. It’s His kindness that influences us so deeply. He stooped down lower than you and I will ever go, to the point of giving His life to lift you and me up out of the pit, to bridge the gap of separation, to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves.
How can we—every man and woman—begin to reflect this expression of God’s character? This mutual submission, this desire to serve in order to lift the other up, this denial of self and rights for the sake of rescuing others… it will change everything.
APPLICATION
Reread Colossians 3:18-19 and Ephesians 5:21-31. Brainstorm a list of ways you’ve seen this done well in your life or the lives of folks around you. What’s something you can start doing, or start doing again, to love and serve one another like this?
PRAYER
God, reveal the ways I’ve knowingly or unknowingly not fully surrendered my life to You. Soften my heart and loosen my grip on the things I’m holding too tightly.
