August's Spiritual Discipline is the Outward Discipline of Submission. In The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Richard Foster takes time to describe what this Discipline is and what it is not.
One of the goals of the Disciplines is freedom, but the center and focus of the Disciplines is Christ.
So what freedom does Submission impart? With Submission, we have the freedom to not always get our way. We don't have to be upset if we don't get our way. We are given permission to forget about it and move on. We don't have to stress over and fight about minor things. If something isn't a big deal, then we can submit to another's choice instead of drawing our line in the sand and taking our stand over everything.
This Discipline is closely tied to the Disciplines of Silence and Service. If I don't have to fight for my own way, I can follow another's lead without arguing or bickering. In submitting to another's way, I can serve them in what they need. As we submit, we should pour grace over our words and deeds.
Submission impacts the relationships around us. We are called to live in a spirit of Submission that perhaps is best described as mutual subordination. Yes, our attitudes matter in this, just as much (if not more so) than our actions.
Submission is about valuing others. We choose to help them with their dreams and plans. We trust that it is better to serve others than to always insist on getting our own way. We surrender our right to retaliate and seek retribution.
Now Submission is tied to self-denial, but it should not be confused with self-hatred. Saying that I don't have to have my way is not saying that I don't deserve to have a voice, opinion, or preference.
Throughout the Bible, those considered subordinates are commanded to serve their superiors. The superiors are commanded to care for their subordinates. There are commands of mutual submission as well. And ultimately, all Christians submit to Christ. To follow Christ is to follow His example as we live for others like He did. We are called to accept servant-hood as Christ did.
Submission is something that we are supposed to volunteer. If a fellow believer is not submitting to you, that is between them and God. We are to obey God's command to us, even if those around us are not doing the same thing.
Now to the part that concerns many people when this topic is brought up: there is a limit to submission. We must obey God rather than men if man's plan & God's plan diverge. Yet there is a specific way in which we are to refuse as outlined in the Bible. We are called to refuse destructive commands clearly, but with a willingness to suffer the consequences for disobeying. From the three men refusing to worship an idol and being thrown in a fiery furnace, to the Early Church continuing to proclaim Christ even though arrests and beatings were doled out, we have our examples.
When should we submit and when should we take our stand? Trust the Spirit to help you determine when to do which action.
Foster ends this chapter listing groups we are called to submit to, listed in the order of importance.
We are first and foremost to submit to God.
Then we are to submit to the Word (both the written and living word).
Then we are to submit to family as we listen to, share with, and serve them.
Then we are to submit to our neighbors and those we encounter in our daily life.
Then we are to submit to the body of Christ
Then we are to submit to the broken and despised by the world, as we serve them.
Finally, we are to submit to the world as we live in a global community. The earth has finite resources and we are called to live responsibly in the world.
And somewhere in there we are called to submit to the governing authorities.
