Submission Hardness

If I haven’t made this clear yet, I will: submission is never easy.

I’ll point you to my life for this. I’m leaving for college in 7 days. Maybe some of ya’ll have been there; good. Then you know how it feels. I want you to grasp that feeling for a second. If you haven’t done it, grasp on to a very uneasy, excited but anxious feeling.

That’s how I feel.

I can’t exactly say it isn’t wonderful; but it’s not just scary either. What does college have to do with God? A lot! I’m moving out on my own. I have to make my own decisions. I have to choose what the best choice is. How can I do that without God? But I have to be submissive to God in order to do that.

Let’s just take one thing: when creating my school schedule (which becomes “permanent” today) I had to choose whether to take ASL 101 (American Sign Language) or MUS 101 (Music). I received an e mail from the MUS 101 teacher because that’s what I was signed up for. She told me that her class is for mostly Music Majors, and that the MUS 100 would be better. I seriously thought about it. I asked her questions. And I asked God. I had to submit to him to let him guide me.

I know that seems easy, but come on! You talk to God about your school schedule and tell me how easy it is.

Relationships (the romantic kind) are another really hard area. My girlfriend and I have had lots of troubles, and it has come down to us asking God (at times) “is this where you want us?” Those questions and neither of the possible answers would be easy to hear, but the questions and submission is necessary.

Don‘t get the idea that just asking the questions is submission. That’s only the start. You have to actually bow down to the answer. If God told me to take MUS 101 but I took ASL 101, all I’m saying to God is “Thanks for your advice, but I’m going to do this instead.” It’s the same thing with KT and I; if we continued dating when God said to end it, life would be hell (and I mean that literally, not as a curse).

Once again we come to the part where I say that submission is such a huge subject that I can’t cover it all in one paper, and can probably never cover it by myself. It will take many other writers and speakers and teachers in the world. But the point I want to give is it’s not easy to submit. Today I’ve only given examples for submitting to God, but think of your relationships. Is it easy to do what’s best for everyone around you before you do what’s best for yourself? Is it easy to love ALL the people around you? Easy to treat them with dignity and respect?

And what’s life worth if we don’t?