If you’re a complementarian woman, you’ve probably thought a lot about submission. At some point most of us realize that, however beautiful we find the theology of submission (and I do find it beautiful), actually submitting is hard!

Men may not have thought as much about submission as it applies to their own lives. In his article “Men, Are You Submissive?,” Michael Kruger points out that “submission is not a female virtue. It’s a Christian virtue.” At various points, the Bible calls both men and women to submit to their parents, the government, employers, and their church elders.

God has put authorities in each of our lives. The call to submit to authority is not contingent on those over us making the choices we would make in their place. Submission can feel like a kind of death. But if we have a robust view of God’s sovereignty, we can trust God to accomplish his will, even if the authority we submit to has made a mistake.