Being a Submissive Wife Doesn't Make You a Doormat

In marriage you are not independent of our spouses, you’re interdependent. You are a team working toward the same goal - successful marriage. The question is what’s the best way for two people of different strengths, skills, and attributes to achieve a blissful marriage? The woman I am describing here is submissive yet confident.She has strength that is ever so subtle.She doesn't give up her life but stand up for herself when her partner steps over the line. Success in marriage is not about looks; it's about attitude. What are the characteristics of a submissive wife? Here are some of them:

• She smiles at her husband most times.
• Embrace or hug him when he returns from work.
• Always give him a vote of confidence.
• Always give him support and encouragement to enable her husband achieve his goals..
• Always look at him with sparkle in your eyes that says, “After all these years of marriage, I still think you’re the greatest!”
• Brag about him in front of others.
• Admire her husband’s abilities.
• Abide by the financial guidelines they agreed upon.
• Pay attention to him when he talks.
• Cook his favorite meal.
• Allowing him space to pursue his hobbies.
• Talk good of her husband before their kids. This is obviously not exhaustive.

“The husband is head of the wife. Wife, submit to your husband, like the church submits to Christ. Husband love your wife, like Christ also loved the church and gives himself to her.” (Ephesians 5:23-24).

The husband has the right to make decisions, but if the family is to be healthy he had better make those decisions with his wife. A wife coming under his authority does not diminish her own abilities. Submitting to your husband does not mean you cannot think for yourself, or have your own opinions, thoughts, and ideas. Some women know what it feels like to be taken for granted.

The man should do nothing from selfish or empty conceit but with respect for his spouse. In blissful marriage the partners are mutually submissive. Marriage is all about give and take, negotiation and compromise. Think about your life with your spouse. In what ways do you compromise and negotiate with your spouse? What happen when your partner only think about himself?

Many people seem confused about the subject of submission. Hopefully, this article will bring to some light to understanding this issue and put to rest to the culturally misconception about submission. Submission doesn’t mean the wife becomes doormat to her husband. Nor does it mean she remains silent when she has opinions or ideas. Quite the contrary; marriage is working together, complementing of your gifts and abilities to overcome your challenges. In marriage, a wife’s thoughts and opinions are to be a highly valued as her husband’s.

Why can’t a husband just boss his wife around and treat her like a doormat? Why can’t he demand that she do things for him? A husband is not to be demanding, ruling, abusive, controlling, or bossy. When a woman becomes a doormat,her husband is likely to lord it over the her, control her, use her to make his life easier. What will a submissive wife who is not doormat likely do? She will show that she would not accept maltreatment. She will resist, rebel, and make her husband understand that there is a limit to her tolerance.

Misuse of submission leads to heartaches and divorce; when the husband decides to rule the household with an iron hand and uses his wife to get his way; he is likely to encounter rebellion, retaliation and eventually a divorce. What happens when a wife withholds respect from her husband? He becomes discouraged. He loses the motivation to move forward. A nagging wife slows down her husband and creates chaos in the home.

How do you know a wife who is not submissive?

• Frowning most of the time.
• Rolling her eyes when she talks to her husband.
• Giving her husband verbal lashing at the slightest opportunity.
• Arguing constantly with the husband.
• Making snide comments that insinuate he is not a good provider.
• Lying to her husband.
• Putting down her husband in front of his friends or yours.
• Disregarding the guidelines her husband sets up with her for family finances.

and ignoring him.

A loving husband must respect his wife. So then it works both ways. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.”

Many women feel threatened by a man because they do not feel good about themselves or because they were abused in the past and now they perceive all men to be abusive. Negative beliefs about submission tend to grow, until soon enough the majority thinks a woman who submits must be a doormat. Which is not true. They have been brainwashed over time that they actually begin to behave in the way they believe, and see no other way.

A wife does not have to submit to an abusive husband. If a man is abusing his wife in any way, then submission is not tenable. We are human and make mistakes. To err is human. And everything in marriage is not going to fit into his nice little comfort zone all the time. Couples fight and yell, and even get angry and slam doors. This is not the kind of abuse I am referring to. This is normal marriage disagreements that usually end with repentance and forgiveness. If disagreement leads into physical injuries, that is what I’m talking about.

Some couples already submit to each other and don’t even know it. Submission is just another way to compromise oneself for the other. Submission is cooperation. Submission is giving something you want for something he wants. A consistently respectful attitude is a fragrant aroma that can soothe a marriage as it permeates the home. Make your own contributions because if you are not bringing anything to the table, he will begin to disrespect you.Financial neediness is no different from emotional neediness, in both instances, he can get the feeling that he has a complete hold on you.

Submission takes one thing, and that is great humbleness. We learn to be selfish by the way we were raised, and what made an impact in our life while growing up. We either learn to remain selfish or we learn to grow out from the negative attitude, and learn to be free with who we married.

The feminist movement went to great lengths to suggest that submission was an outdated practice that is no longer germane to modern marriages. Over time it has become misconstrued as a means of considering women inferior, removing a variety of their privileges, and also greatly hampering their ability to be self-determining.

When you decide to submit to your husband, you freely decide to curtail any actions you may take that would solely benefit you. Additionally, instead of feeling slighted and powerless, you choose to respect your husband at each turn. In practical terms, this means that as the wife, you respect him as the head of the family. You are still supposed to know of everything that is going on and give your opinion.

When husband and wife eliminate power struggles, keeping secret and selfishness and also greatly cut down on independent actions; thereby fostering an attitude of mutual decision making, the marriage will be blissful.