Submit

This is yet another theme is seems God is planting into my life right now. From actual experiences to my reading to church, this idea has recurred for a couple weeks now. No, I'm not talking about the whole "wives submit yourselves to your husbands" discussion. No way am I opening that can of worms! I'm talking about submitting yourself to life circumstances. I can honestly say that no other idea has given me more peace in real life moments. I have wasted so much time and energy fighting against things that no amount of fighting would ever change. I'm not talking about things that should be changed or could be changed by you. I'm talking about husbands leaving for deployment or being alone with the boys all day everyday or cold rainy weather that makes it impossible to go outside to play.It all started with me noticing a theme in Abigail Adam's letters to John (yes, I'm still working on this book. It's long, ok??). Often when she is concluding a time of gentle complaining or wishing for life to be different for them she would end with a simple, "but I submit." She would always end there. She knew there was nothing she could do to control these things or that the trouble they were going through at the time was worth the result of insured freedom for our country and her children so she would submit to the circumstances or submit to God in them.
Then when we went to church on Saturday night, the theme was Psalm 131. It is a short Psalm that uses the imagery of a baby at peace in his mother's arms.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131:2

He brought to light the point that with this image of maternal love comes the idea that the things that are in our life may not always be what we want, but are always what we need. Now that is something I can submit to.
I know this is still an idea that is being processed in my life but I thought in the mean time I would share in hopes that God might be able to use it in your life as well.