The Walk of Submission by Olivia Slaton

My life over the past two months has dramatically changed. I’ve never been one to handle change very well. If I am entirely honest, I find myself battling to keep things how they used to be while also battling to change and create anew.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).

In moments when my pride wants to take the lead, I have to intentionally return to what I know is true. He is higher than I am. His ways are better than mine, even when I don’t understand them and even when they feel uncomfortable.

Life as a newlywed is so sweet, yet so foreign. Everything about it is new, and for someone who doesn’t love change, that can be a challenge. One of the biggest lessons I’ve found myself learning is what submission truly looks like while remaining the individual God created me to be.

There is a balance between being controlling and demanding versus becoming passive and losing your personality. It is a fine line, and if I’m honest, I find myself walking it daily and failing often.

There are moments when I feel like a lost puppy in this new season. In those moments, I am so thankful that God has given us the Holy Spirit. When I’m tempted to ignore my husband’s decisions and assume I know best, I can feel that gentle nudge from the Spirit to deny my flesh and seek the Lord’s will.

And His will is not hidden from us. Scripture makes it clear: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18).

Submission is not a weakness. It is not silence. It is not losing yourself. It is obedience to Christ. Not only does submission please your husband, but it pleases the Lord.

In these past two months, when I have chosen to submit not only to my husband but ultimately to the Lord, I have seen the blessings of that surrender. Not in a tangible way, but in a deeper discernment of His will for me and a stronger relationship not only with Him, but with my husband.

I have gained a deeper trust not only in my husband, but also in the design the Lord has set in place.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)

In this daily battle between surrender and allowing the Lord to renew my mind, I keep coming back to this truth. I am His creation, and He is my Creator. As we seek Him, He renews our minds.

He doesn’t just command obedience. He transforms our hearts. Our desires begin to shift. What once felt impossible begins to feel possible. What was once foreign is no longer.

While my desires don’t always align with His, I trust that as I seek Him, He will change my heart. He is faithful to complete the work He begins. We are not tied to a lifeless set of rules. We are invited into a relationship. And when our hearts shift, obedience becomes a little less challenging.