December 6, 2018 | Submission Makes Us Stronger

Submission makes us stronger
Proverbs 29:1 reveals one of the most underappreciated and oft-resisted factors in growing wise: learning through submission.

When we bow up, pridefully nursing our real or supposed grievances, we actually become more fragile. When we refuse conviction and stiffen our necks to prove that we have it all together, we merely make our eventual break-down worse. Conversely, when we put ourselves in position to be beaten down with rebukes, it makes us stronger internally. Taking correction prepares us for long-term success. Submission makes us stronger.

No excuse
Further, the immediate context of the verse shows that one can’t blame anyone else for our lack of pliability. One cannot excuse lack of yielding to God just because the surrounding culture is good or bad.

This type of writing/editing is called an inclusio. The bookend verses before and after highlight and give context to the central point. Thus, that it doesn’t matter if everything around is wicked. That’s terrible, but it doesn’t change the individual responsibility to be trained through deference. We can learn from God even through the nastiest cultures. And conversely, just because times are good, that doesn’t excuse laziness in our growth. Good or bad surroundings don’t change the need to learn through submission.