Rest Through Submission

There’s a difference between love and obligation. Obligation operates by the rigidity of the law and corrupts relationships with coercion and power dynamics. God’s kingdom, in contrast, runs by the law of love, where both authority and submission flow from a vulnerable trust in God that offers freedom and optionality for the other. In the humble pleas of the centurion (Luke 7) and the apostle Paul (Philemon), we see the power of releasing control to God. In the safety of letting go and giving people the option to love, we receive the rest that comes from God, who freely chooses to pursue us every day.