Posted on by Jamie Castle

Rebel Without A Cause

More years ago than I care to remember, I walked into a cute little duplex on South Montgomery Street in Starkville, Mississippi, and perched myself on top of the world.  It was my freshman year in college, and I was on my own for the first time in my life.  I had to answer to no one, could come and go as I pleased, and the arrangement of the furniture was totally up to me, except for the porch area apparently, which was donned by my neighbor’s couch.  Eighteen years of wishing, hoping, longing for independence, and here I stood.  I was finally in charge of me!

That first step out on my own was exhilarating, but I would soon come to realize that the old “powers that be” were only replaced with new ones.  My college advisors, professors, and credit card companies with which I blindly leaped into relationship took the place of parents and high school teachers.  I had entered a new phase of life, but authority still towered above.  I wrestled with that.  Having always had an independent spirit, and at times having been a bit of a rebel, I wanted no part of listening to anyone else about what I should do or how I should live my life.  I was a smart girl, and I knew everything I would ever need to know about anything.  Ahhh, sweet 18-year-old mentality.  A true rebel with absolutely no worthy cause.  

Just like those days in my carefree college years, I sometimes revert to the “can’t nobody tell me nothing” mantra.  Ask my husband; it’s a lingering trait.  Our marriage has faced many the trial of who knows best.  We once took an IQ test to gauge who was smarter, and we actually ended up scoring the exact same.  Despite my hard headedness, I have seen God graciously use our marriage to teach me about what Godly authority should look like in my life.  It has taken some kicking and screaming on my part, but I honestly take comfort in the responsibility falling on my husband now.  He bears the weight of the burden and is the one that will answer for the decisions he makes for our family.  I am so thankful for him because he holds that responsibility in such high regard.

The authority of my husband within our marriage has helped me to understand the authority of God over my life.  This little rebel spirit has had her own little simulation to practice how to submit in even the smallest of things.  God’s authority in my life overrules my husband’s authority, but He guides me to submit to this human so that I can more clearly see the beautiful picture created when I submit to the God of all humans.  If I can submit to the small things, like the grocery budget, then I can begin to learn how to submit to the big things, like my entire life.  Government, teachers, employers, even the church have been given divine authority to lead me as well, and they insist on my obedience.  That can be difficult to grasp, and oftentimes unimaginable, especially for a rebellious, independent spirit; however, we are not meant to be the one who calls the shots.  There is always One greater that demands our allegiance.

Submission is usually an ugly word in our vocabulary, but in its perfection, it is quite beautiful.  When a decision needs to be made in my home, my husband and I talk about it, and we discuss the best scenarios and paths to take.  A lot of times, my suggestions are heeded, and he makes decisions the way I would have him.  Sometimes that doesn’t happen.  I always have a say, though.  Just because an authority has been placed over me does not mean I am to remain silent.  In any submissive relationship, the one in authority should listen to ideas and advice and not just rule with a dictator’s hand.        

As a true rebel, I can commiserate with you that these authoritative entities don’t always have it right, and God is supremely above all, so we must be obedient to Him no matter what.  It is supremely important to be careful that we don’t buck the authoritative system just because our feelings are hurt, because we have strong opinions, because we feel we know better (or even are sure we know better), or because we want to continue to stay blind to our sin.  God has placed human authority over us, and it is biblical to follow that authority unless it causes us to sin, even if it is uncomfortable.  If it seems that we are just having to jump through hoops for no apparent reason (because we feel we know better than those in charge), maybe we are supposed to just jump through those hoops.  

I can’t think of a single story in the Bible where God asked someone to do something reasonable, can you?  Noah and the ark.  Mary and the immaculate conception.  Jesus, the Messiah, carrying his own murder weapon to his death.  None of these make any sense to us, and I bet if I were in their shoes, I would’ve argued and called it a conspiracy, but God used these people in incredible ways because they did something that seemed unreasonable to their human minds.  They stepped out in faith and obeyed.  Maybe when we jump through the hoops of the authority figures in our lives, we are really practicing up for the bigger show where God will ask us to do something crazy, yet remarkable.  If we argue against any human that asks us to do something, how can we easily submit to God if He asks us to do something outside of our normal realm of thinking?  If I have a spirit of combativeness toward the people that were made in the image of God, that He himself placed in authority over me, what makes me think I will so easily accept or even believe Him when He tells me to give my full submission to Him?   

So many times I have been a rebel without a cause, revolting only because of selfish pride.  Rebels WITH a cause are definitely needed at times, but I should be careful not to jump to every revolt and assume that it is MY hill on which to die.  Rebelling simply because I love rebelling is infinitely more detrimental to the sake of Christ than the injustice I am trying to alleviate.  If God calls me to stand up against authority, I should know it in the depths of my deep and committed relationship to Him.  The Holy Spirit and the Word of God will make it abundantly clear.  If my walk with God is lackluster, lukewarm, and littered with worldly distractions, I am a fool if I think I can perfectly hear Him telling me to buck authority for His sake. 

Full submission to God is giving up my entire life for Him to use me as He will, jumping through hoops if He asks.  We live in an age where instant self-gratification reigns supreme and full submission to anyone is archaic.  It’s no wonder that we have such a problem with authority.  We have convinced ourselves that we know everything, and that we can solve any problem on our own.  It’s the 18-year-old mentality, but in full-grown adults.  Only, the Lord has something beautiful to show me that can only be found when I submit.  There is peace there.  There is a relationship there.  There is love there.  And there just might be some remarkable command that can utterly change the world.

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Philippians 2:3-8 ESV

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