Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage Presents
'Spiritual Discipline'
Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage, Missouri West Conference UMC
(a good friend of Rev. Michael Lee Burgess, shared with permission).
The Spiritual Discipline Of Submission
This month's Spiritual Discipline is submission. I will start out by quoting what
Richard Foster says about the abuse of the Discipline of submission in his book
The Celebration of Discipline. "Somehow the human species has an extraordinary
knack for taking the best teaching and turning it to the worst ends. Nothing can
put people into bondage like religion, and nothing in religion has done more to
manipulate and destroy people than a deficient teaching on submission."
(The Celebration of Discipline, p. 110). Hopefully, after this month we will all
have a better understanding of what the Discipline of submission is all about.
The Spiritual Disciplines are about freedom. It is the paradox of discipline
that when we submit, then we are free. Foster says that "the liberation is
the end; the Disciplines are merely the means" to getting there.
The freedom of the Discipline of submission is freedom from "the obsession to
demand that things go the way we want them to go" (p. 111). When we are submissive,
we can drop matters that don't go the way we want them to go rather than hanging on
to our insistence that they must be done our way or no way at all. Foster believes
that "almost all church fights and splits occur because people do not have the
freedom to give in to each other" (p. 111). When we practice submission, we are
able to "distinguish between genuine issues and stubborn self-will" (p. 111).
When we practice submission "we are at last free to value other people. Their
dreams and plans become important to us. We have entered into a new, wonderful,
glorious freedom - the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others.
For the first time we can love people unconditionally. We have given up the
right to demand that they return our love" (p. 112). But this only happens when
submission is practiced correctly, so we will look at how we can avoid abusing
this Discipline.
For Foster, the touchstone of submission is self-denial. We heard a lot about
self-denial during Lent, but let's look at it again since "self-denial conjures
up in our minds all sorts of images of groveling and self-hatred" (p. 113).
Self-denial is not a matter of losing our individuality or of self-hatred.
Rather, "self-denial is simply a way of coming to understand that we do not
have to have our own way. Our happiness is not dependent upon getting what
we want" (p. 113).
Neither is self-denial a matter of self-contempt. "Self-contempt claims
that we have no worth, and even if we do have worth, we reject it. Self-denial
declares that we are of infinite worth and shows us how to realize it.
Self-contempt denies the goodness of the creation; self-denial affirms that
it is indeed good" (p. 114).
When looking at the Discipline of submission, it is always good to keep
what we know of the life of Jesus in front of us. For Jesus led the perfect
life of submission. He did not come seeking glory, but He, the king of glory,
came to be servant to all, including you and me. He submitted himself to
God's will, even when it meant a cross, because he put our needs before his own.
Jesus is still our best example of this Discipline.
The Spiritual Disciplines are something we do and although the Discipline
of submission usually shows itself in acts of service (our topic for next month),
Foster does list 6 acts of submission for us now.
1. Submission to the Triune God. We yield our body, mind, and spirit for God's purposes.
2. Submission to Scripture. Here we yield ourselves to hear, receive and obey the Word.
3. Submission to our family. This is shown in a comitment to listen to one another
and a willingness to share.
4. Submission to our neighbors. We do this by helping those in need and doing small acts
of kindness like mowing a yard, babysitting the children, sharing food.
5. Submission to the believing community, the body of Christ. Realising that we can't
do everything, we do those things which we can for our church.
6. Submission to the broken and despised. We are to be among those that our culture
considers poor and undefended, not just send them our help annonymously.
Until next time, may the peace and grace of Christ be with you always.
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