Submission Isn’t Weakness

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7

We were at a team-building event at work, doing improv.

The rules were simple: you’re given a word, and you have to act it out on the spot.

My word?
Submissive.

Without even thinking, I blurted out:
“NOT ME.”

The room erupted in laughter. They knew.
The room erupted in laughter. They knew.
Because if you know me, you know I’m intentional about who and what I follow.
I lead with discernment, not blind agreement.

Not because I’m rebellious.
Not because I don’t listen.
But because I’ve had to lead.

I’m the oldest.
The daughter. The granddaughter. The niece.
The one who figures it out.
The one people lean on.
The one who holds it all together when everything’s falling apart.

And let’s be honest—submission hasn’t always felt safe.

In boardrooms, in churches, in relationships, even in our culture, that word has been twisted.
It sounds like losing your voice. Shrinking. Handing over control to people who’ve proven they’re not trustworthy.

So I’ve kept my guard up. Stayed in control. Held it all—because someone had to.

But here’s the truth God’s been pressing on me lately:

Submission to God is not weakness—it’s wisdom.
It’s not passive—it’s powerful.
It’s not giving up—it’s letting go of what was never mine to carry.

When Jesus said, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” that wasn’t surrender from a place of fear.
That was trust.
That was strength.
That was the Son of God showing us the way.

And that’s what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do too.

Not submit to people who abuse power—but to a God who is power.
Not follow blindly—but yield to the One who sees what’s ahead when we don’t.
Not abandon responsibility—but release the illusion that we’re in control of everything.

Because the longer we hold it all, the more we feel the weight.
And sis, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of pretending I’m not tired.

So I’ve been asking myself lately:

What if the very thing I’ve been resisting… is the thing that will finally set me free?