Rowing in Rhythm
"Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21
Have you ever watched a rowing team glide across the water? Every movement is unified. Every stroke is perfectly timed. If just one person goes off rhythm, the whole boat slows down or veers off course. Success depends on mutual submission to the same rhythm and a shared goal. That’s how relationships were meant to work.
In a culture obsessed with control and competition, submission often gets misunderstood. It is not about one person overpowering another. It is not about losing your voice or becoming passive. Biblical submission is about aligning with Christ first, then moving together in love and trust. It is a shared obedience that creates spiritual unity.
The call to submit and the call to love are not competing instructions. They are two sides of the same surrender. One is not greater than the other. Both require humility. Both require putting the mission of Christ ahead of your own preferences. And both only work when everyone is listening to the same voice, His.
Think of what happens when Christ sets the rhythm. There is less tension and more grace. Less fighting for control and more serving one another. Homes become peaceful. Marriages become stronger. Parenting becomes more intentional. The rhythm of Christ brings clarity to every relationship in your life.
But it starts with you. Before asking someone else to change their rhythm, you have to examine your own. Are you rowing in step with Jesus, or trying to set your own pace? Are you working with those around you, or pulling in a different direction?
God is not calling you to win the power struggle. He is calling you to row in rhythm with His heart. As you do, your life and your relationships will begin to move with grace, power, and purpose. And just like that rowing team, you will find strength in the unity of surrender.
Have you ever watched a rowing team glide across the water? Every movement is unified. Every stroke is perfectly timed. If just one person goes off rhythm, the whole boat slows down or veers off course. Success depends on mutual submission to the same rhythm and a shared goal. That’s how relationships were meant to work.
In a culture obsessed with control and competition, submission often gets misunderstood. It is not about one person overpowering another. It is not about losing your voice or becoming passive. Biblical submission is about aligning with Christ first, then moving together in love and trust. It is a shared obedience that creates spiritual unity.
The call to submit and the call to love are not competing instructions. They are two sides of the same surrender. One is not greater than the other. Both require humility. Both require putting the mission of Christ ahead of your own preferences. And both only work when everyone is listening to the same voice, His.
Think of what happens when Christ sets the rhythm. There is less tension and more grace. Less fighting for control and more serving one another. Homes become peaceful. Marriages become stronger. Parenting becomes more intentional. The rhythm of Christ brings clarity to every relationship in your life.
But it starts with you. Before asking someone else to change their rhythm, you have to examine your own. Are you rowing in step with Jesus, or trying to set your own pace? Are you working with those around you, or pulling in a different direction?
God is not calling you to win the power struggle. He is calling you to row in rhythm with His heart. As you do, your life and your relationships will begin to move with grace, power, and purpose. And just like that rowing team, you will find strength in the unity of surrender.
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