(a 3 minute read) I was at a benefit a few weeks ago where two organizations were coming together to work alongside each other, a partnership if you may. To demonstrate their partnership they carried out a marriage ceremony, with a pastor and everything. I’ve never seen something like that myself, and I was paying special attention to it. You see, they signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) and kudos to them as they used the wedding ceremony to symbolize what they are doing instead of explaining what an MOU is. I promise you, this is not me trying to explain what an MOU is 🙂

Think of a wedding that is between two individuals where one is clearly the financial mogul and the other is the aspiring individual building themselves. The pastor officiating the ceremony, uttered these two words ‘mutual submission’ as he referenced the same passage used by pastors everywhere. The difference is, it was the first time I hear this phrase ‘mutual submission’ rather than the, “wives should submit to their husbands in everything”. So no wonder that when I heard ‘mutual submission’ it made me chuckle on the inside, quite loudly actually, on the inside, as the words ‘mutual’ and ‘submission’ are indeed an oxymoron when put together. Correct? For the definition of ‘submit’ is; to yield to the authority of another person. Period.

You know what I did when I went home? I poured into these passages about marriage and submission. And ah ha. I saw the light. The intermingling of ‘Love’ & ‘submission’ of the two roles. The amalgamation between ‘Love’ & ‘submission’ is poetry I tell you. Do you sense the excitement I felt! The exuberance I experienced! Why, just why am I now, just now seeing this! But that’s just me.

Oh how wrong I was in this. So wrong, I was embarrassed of myself for chuckling on the inside at that benefit. I looked back at that moment and asked myself, “Did the chuckle come out? Did I publicly embarrass myself? Did anyone else chuckle on the inside at this oxymoron?” I surely hope others were much smarter than myself and understood that ‘LOVE’ is indeed a ‘mutual submission’ of one to another and the another to the one, all at the same time. For remember, the Creator submitted to the createee whilst allowing us humans to condemn the Creator on the cross, and at the same time the Creator requests the submission of us people. Requests, you wonder? Yes, requests, for ‘CHOICE’ is for humans to choose to submit. Hope you see the beauty, charm, loveliness & exquisiteness of the oxymoronity of MUTUAL SUBMISSION 🙂

My prayer is that the pastor that officiated this ceremony, as well as all pastors worldwide, would from this point forward, speak of the passage and explain the ‘mutual submission’ between the two parties, rather than emphasizing the  “wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” As I personally believe that Paul’s words are so much more about this mutual submission.