“Sit up straight, Jessica!” My mother would often say as she gently touched my back. She was the definition of a true Southern lady.
Hair coiffed,
legs crossed,
back straight,
smelling great,
words that edify,
smile to memorize-
That was how a proper lady carried herself.
However, the tomboy in me wasn’t having any of that. I was a cartwheels-in-dresses, sit-on-the-ground-with-wild-hair kind of girl. My mother seemed to tolerate most of that, but she was a stickler for sitting up straight. She would always talk about how posture was important. I didn’t care. I just wanted to play.
As I approach the 10th anniversary of her death on February 16th, I’ve been reflecting on the wisdom that she may not have even realized she was giving. Posture is important, not just the physical but also our spiritual posture.
Now, look, I’m going to say a “bad” word. At least, that’s the way this word is treated. Submission. Go ahead, take a breath. Frown and make the “ugh” sound. I know how much we, as women in the body of Christ do not like that word. Primarily because we often hear that word in relation to marriage, and unfortunately, many of us were taught that submitting to our husbands means you are in some way subservient. But that’s not the submission talk I want to have today.
As I have grown in my relationship with Christ, I’ve learned a lot about how God wants us to submit. Admittedly, I’ve learned these lessons through the consequences of disobedience, but I’m still grateful to have gained this wisdom.
You see, when I was about 16 years old, I was sitting in church listening to the preacher deliver a sermon. (I was sitting up straight, per my mother’s instruction). I sat in the moment, not feeling particularly moved or bored when the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said I was called to ministry. Hearing those words sent an influx of fear through my body as I watched the male preacher boldly deliver God’s Word.
Male. That’s mostly what I saw regarding ministry. Men monopolized the pulpits and were always in charge of everything in the Southern Baptist churches I saw. I hadn’t seen any examples of what it meant to be a female ministry leader. Plus, what I thought I knew as ministry was preaching, and I KNEW I didn’t want any part of that. So, I told God no, and the race was on.
I became a modern-day Jonah, determined to make my way to my metaphorical Tarshish. But God wasn’t having that. I was called to do His will, so He gave me another chance to get it together. When I was 19, God met me in a dream that shook me when I woke up. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to hear anything God had to say other than “minister.” So, I settled on something that I thought God would be happy with- partial obedience.
I was reading and studying my Word and telling others about Jesus. I was praying consistently and attending church regularly with my family. I strove to be like Jesus and modeled my character like his- just without the ministry part- and I convinced myself that was acceptable.
I mean, God was still speaking to me, guiding me, and providing for me, so I couldn’t have been all bad, right?
Fast forward to 2022, then 34 years old, God told me to move to Texas from North Carolina. It seemed like an odd request. I didn’t know anyone in Texas and had never even visited the state. When we moved, I didn’t have a job or any source of income. But God told me to do it, and I was careful to maintain my partial obedience. After all, the ministry discussion was still off-limits, in my mind.
Moving to Texas turned out to be the ultimate “come to Jesus” meeting. I felt isolated and alone. Many of my family members didn’t agree with the move, and I didn’t have connections here, which forced me to talk to God more. I remember asking Him why he moved us here in one of our conversations.
My son was miserable, and I was too. What could God possibly want from us half a country away from everything we knew?
His answer was, “To heal.” To that response, I quickly replied that I could have healed in North Carolina. I have to marvel at God’s patience and love for his children. I was so unnecessarily brazen and angry, but I felt I had a right to be. I had plans, but life had thrown so many shifts in my direction that I was overwhelmed and hurting.
As a teenager, God called me to do something I didn’t want to do. (SHIFT) Then, I endured hardship after hardship. In 2015, my mom died from pancreatic cancer, and I married a man I knew God disapproved of. (SHIFT) In 2016, we settled her estate, and I started the painful task of convincing myself I was happy in my marriage. (SHIFT) In 2017, I almost died when my gallbladder failed and became infected. (SHIFT) In 2018, I was hospitalized for a month due to a rare but life-threatening illness. (SHIFT) 2019 brought more health challenges and in 2020, my husband was arrested for downloading child porn. (SHIFT, SHIFT, SHIFT)
I think it’s safe to say that I was overdue for some healing.
So, I submitted to God’s request, operating in full obedience for the first time in almost twenty years.
By now, you may be wondering what the connection is between obedience, posture, and submission.
You see, good posture helps the body maintain optimal spinal alignment. Sitting up straight helps your spine feel great and can alleviate back problems in the future. Obedience does the same thing in our walk with Christ. Our obedience to God’s Word places us in alignment with His will. When we are disobedient, we are out of alignment and not submitted to God’s purpose for our lives.
Let me give you some Bible with that. James 1:22-25 (NLT) says,
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at yourself in the mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
My spiritual posture was off, and I desperately needed some divine chiropractic care. Revelations 3:15-16 (NLT) says,” I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other. But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” I was listening to God’s word, but I wasn’t fully doing what it said. Partial obedience is still disobedience, and I had to face the fact that my partial obedience made me a lukewarm Christian in serious danger of being rejected or “spit out” by the God I so desperately needed and wanted.
So, my journey of submission began. My mindset was shifting, and I was determined to grow in God. I had to learn to be submissive in the shifts.
You see, out of all the hardships I’d endured, I suffered more loss than I would have if I were submitted to God’s will. I missed out on true intimacy with God by rejecting His call and keeping Him at arm’s length with my discussion restrictions. Seriously, who was I to tell God what He could and could not say to me?
I missed clarity, additional guidance, and God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. Running and partial obedience for so many years left me weary, anxious, and lost. I was burdened, scarred, and listless. I craved an authentic relationship with God, so that meant I had to be submissive to His will.
That was not an easy task. I quickly learned that submission required me to give up my will for God’s. For years, I’d put my will, my desires, my thoughts above God’s. My will became an idol, and that had to be dismantled. So, we started working on my posture.
When God asked me to do something, I began to say “yes” rather than asking why or saying no. With every “yes, Lord,” I felt the walls built by disobedience breaking down. I began to experience intimacy with God like I never had before and recognized how God was blessing me in different ways. Hardships started to feel more bearable, and I was at peace.
Here’s what I’d love for you to get out of this- submission to God is giving God your “yes,” which tells Him you are willing to be obedient to His will. Your “yes” properly aligns you and prepares you for all God has in store for you. Thus, allowing you to easily and flexibly submit to every shift that life throws your way. There is power in submission. There is grace, joy, and peace there as well. It is my hope that you will see that God’s definition of submission is meant for your good. And, that posture is important, so make sure you are sitting up straight, Friend!
Let us pray.
Spirit of the living God, we thank you for considering us capable of submission in the shifts. It is a great joy that you know us so intimately, that you included us in your will for this season. It is not a small thing to be called by You, and we humbly submit to Your purpose for our lives. Allow us to experience the intimacy of submission and grant us the boldness to consistently and willingly give you our “yes.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Welcome Jessica as our newest blogger. Jessica is a writer, mom, educator, and published author of The Truth About Eddie James. Raised in the church, she is determined to love Jesus with all her might. When she’s not in full-blown mom-mode, Jessica enjoys cooking, reading, and all things chocolate.