Ephesians 5:22 - "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."
As much as you probably think it is, based on today's Bible verse, today's devotion is not about marriage, wives, or submission. It's about the little phrase "your own" in today's verse, which means it's about quirks and idiosyncrasies. Please let me explain.
Have you ever watched someone eat chips and salsa at a restaurant? It can really be quite hilarious. One time, on my way to and from the restroom, I observed this one person who already had their mouth wide open as they dipped their chip into the salsa. Then, having used the chip more like a scoop, they moved the chip up and down three times with the same rhythm that they moved their head and wide open mouth, which didn't seem to help much, since they got some salsa in their mouth but most of it down their shirt. They repeated the exact sequence as I returned from the restroom. Fortunately, they laughed at their own self even as I tried respectfully not to. After all, I have my own quirks and idiosyncrasies.
An idiosyncrasy (id·i·o·syn·cra·sy) is a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual. It can also be called a quirk, which is a peculiar behavioral habit.
Here's a couple of mine. First, when I'm working a puzzle, I find it necessary to tap twice on any piece that I fit into its place. Somehow it seems that I'm telling the piece to stay in place, or I'm saying, "Ha! I got ya, ya little puzzle piece!" Or another quirk and idiosyncrasy of mine is when I close a lady's car door, I always tap the car window twice as if I'm telling my Amanda or Calley or Cassidy or mother, "Now, you stay in there!," as if they're a little puzzle piece that I finally got into its place! It's just my quirk, my idiosyncrasy, my peculiar behavioral habit.
In today's Bible verse from Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord," the phrase "your own" is from the Greek word "idios," which is the root of our word "idiosyncrasy" and (chuckle! chuckle!) "idiot."
See God is not telling every woman who is a wife to submit to every man who is a husband. God is telling every wife to submit to her own husband, her own private husband, her own personal husband, the unique and quirky husband belonging to her with all his peculiar idiosyncrasies.
More broadly speaking, God is telling us that, as we get to know someone, we'll get to know their quirky ways of doing things. Maybe they need their clothes folded a particular way or hung on particular hangers. Or maybe they drive with a foot on the dashboard. Or maybe they chew their gum in a way that irritates the stew out of you. They're not Biblically moral matters; they're quirks and idiosyncrasies. They're things that make people unique and therefore fun in getting to know and love them...quirks and all!
So let's declare today "Love 'your own' friends and family day!" In essence, it's "Identify, celebrate, smile at, laugh at, and love the people in your life for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies day!" It could be lots of fun!!!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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