Dale Earnhardt once said, “Second place is just the first place loser.” That’s the way a lot of us think. But when it comes to Christianity, most of us recognize that our role is supposed to be second, right? God is in the driver’s seat. We are the co-pilot. We are, in essence, second--second only, of course, to God.

Interestingly enough, as our pastor, Tim Harris, pointed out in today’s sermon, that’s not correct at all. According to Ephesians 5:21, we aren’t to be in second. Why? Because we are supposed to “submit to one another.”

Submission means to place ourselves under the authority of another. As women, we often think of it as a dirty word. We all know Ephesians 5:22. We all know about the verse that says we need to submit to our husbands. But according to the verse prior, there is more to submission than even that.

Romans 12:10 says we should give preference to one another. Philippians 2:4 says we should look out for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3 says we should count others as more significant than ourselves. So, where does that leave us? Definitely not in second place, and not in third, fourth, or fifth either.

In fact, it leaves us dead last. And, for most of us, that doesn’t seem like a very pleasant place to be. It leaves us feeling kind of hopeless, doesn’t it? It makes us feel vulnerable. After all, if we have to think about everyone else all the time, who’s going to think about us?

Mathew 6:33 assures us that if we “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously” Christ will give us everything that we need. It’s a matter of faith and obedience.

Putting others first looks different in different situations. It may mean giving up your seat on the bus. It may mean getting up early to fix your spouse breakfast. It may mean going without a vacation in order to support a missionary. For me, it means being as transparent with you as possible.

In this blog, I will share my struggles, my successes, and my shortcomings. I do this as my act of submission to you. I am putting myself under your scrutiny, under your judgment. God has called me to write. God has called me to teach. God has called me to speak. God has called me to share. It’s my act of submission to you.

Welcome to my world. I’m inviting you in…