18 Little Words

"Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."- Luke 22:42 NIV

Wow. What a profound and strange scripture. Honestly, I have never understood this one. It baffled me. If God is Jesus and Jesus is God, then suddenly God isn't sure about His plan?!

Well people... there is so much happening in this one sentence. This one tiny 18 word piece of scripture speaks to so much more than I ever knew, until now. Let me share my enlightenment with you. 

I don't know if you've read The Shack by William P Young. Maybe you've seen the movie? Either way, if you haven't- you should. I have read it 3 or 4 times and gotten something different each time. The movie is really good and sticks to the book for the most part, but naturally you'll get more from the book. Just go read it, ok?!

The Shack really expresses the 3 very different persons who make up the One God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. All very different, yet all the same. Seems confusing- but this novel really helps you wrap your mind around it. It's a relationship. We were created in His image, so naturally we crave relationship. God, in Himself, defines relationship. (Geez, lady, how many times in one paragraph do you need to say relationship? Get a thesaurus already...) 

I have been attending Red Cedar Church in Eau Claire, WI. It's freaking amazing, people. Seriously. I finally feel at home here. Oh yeah.. and my family loves it too. Anyway, the head pastor is a woman named Heather Semple who (she doesn't know this) would definitely be one of my very good friends if we were ever to meet in person. She is so relatable and honest, and she makes this whole Christian life stuff seem realistic and tangible. Her sermons are streamed from Rice Lake, WI where the main campus is (sounds strange, but we meet in a movie theater, so I would bet my church pew is more comfy than most- and I got a cup holder.. no big deal). 

My girls learning about prayer and actually retaining it!

Anywho.. Pastor Heather has been doing a series on relationships. Marriage, singles, divorcees, all kinds. Even when she talks about marriage, I can relate it to all of my relationships, whether it be with my sisters, my children, my mom, friends, you name it. It's all very similar. One of the things she discussed was mutual voluntary submission. MVS. Weird? Maybe. Or maybe it's a wonderful new way of viewing our closest relationships. Mutual Voluntary Submission is when I submit to you (meaning putting your best interests first, and your happiness in front of my own), and you do the same for me. If we are both in the same mindset- we will both have our best interests looked out for. Our relationship wins. 

Pastor Heather mentioned Ephesians 5:22-25 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 

I have read this scripture a million times. I have heard it preached about a million more. I have received good things from it and yet I felt like I was hearing it for the very first time. Crazy right?! What the heck is so different? Well, folks, I never really stopped to consider what it was actually saying to me. "Submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." Huh? What does this really look like?

If I am being honest, I can tell you that I have rarely submitted myself to Mike like I do to the Lord. How do I submit myself to the Lord?? Well, let's be really real here and admit that I don't always agree with God. You might not believe this, but I have a bit of an argumentative side to me, and I have been known to show this side to God from time to time. I think I know better and I don't understand what He is doing, but I have to humble myself, shut my big mouth, and trust that He is God and that He's got it covered. 

That one time I submitted and Mike got the aisle seat

If I can do this with God, I need to learn to do it with Mike. <insert hilarious laugh here> I know I can be difficult and stubborn, but dangit I do believe you can teach an old dog new tricks. I have to learn to bite my tongue and trust that Mike has my best interests in mind. Trust that he will look out for me and that even though I think I know better, he will take care of things. It's a trust thing. A surrendering thing. A willingness to be vulnerable and let go of control thing. It's a relationship thing. 

And it's what is spoken in those 18 little words. Jesus knew he was about to not only endure the most humiliating and excruciating torment, but He was also about to take on the wrath of God. And not just enough for one person- but enough for the entire human race. He was going to experience what no other living thing could ever endure. And he was scared. He was nervous. He was human. He spoke to His Father (cause they are in relationship) and He expressed His desire to get out of this, but in the same breath Jesus told God that He trusted Him and that He would do what He needed to because He knew God loved him and had His best interests in mind. 

Man, if that doesn't change your way of thinking, I don't know what will. If Jesus can trust God when He's staring down the barrel of a crucifixion and all the wrath of God, then I can trust God when I am making a career move or deciding which church to attend. I can trust Mike when he makes decisions for our family. And I can trust the God in Mike with my best interests.

Those who know your name trust in you,

    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. ~ Psalm 9:10 NIV