Halfway

Ephesians 5:21 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The setting I am living in now is a group of young adults trying to serve the Lord together. All of us have the same goal, to glorify God with our lives. There is an order of authority as we are here - the interns have to report to the RA’s and the RA’s have to report to Austin, then Austin to Pastor Mike, and obviously the ultimate authority is God. But when I read this verse I think about the interns. Those of us who are currently going through the Ignite program together, who are relatively the same age. There is no obvious authority among us, but with that can come some friction. Have you ever been in something like a group project when everyone has their own opinion on how to complete the project and it ends up in disaster because no one can come to an agreement? If too many people are trying to take the reigns it simply does not work. That is what I think the purpose of this verse is - to create unity within the body. If we put each other’s needs above out own, we won’t have to worry about pride getting in the way of our fellowship and ministering. We can instead be ready to serve one another in submission, because this is what will bring joy and peace between all of us. This is a verse that will be especially important as we are out during our field time. I know there are times where I want situations to play out a certain way and I have to choose in advance that I will not get frustrated if someone has another vision for how it should be done. If I meditate on this verse my time in ignite will be more focused and fruitful.