who's the Boss?

Ephisians 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

"I may be the head of the household, boys, but my wife is the neck!"

My husband loves to throw that one-liner out during church functions. It hints at the fact that although women are supposed to be submissive, they are still a very integral part of a man's support system and decision making process. It takes an artful and graceful woman to walk that fine line between supporting and usurping. It takes a strong woman to stand back and say "It's your decision." It takes a discerning woman to gently guide that head back into the right direction.
Yes, as women, we are definitely the neck. Without us, the head would have no ability to see from all angles. Thus, being the neck holds much responsibility.

Submission has become somewhat of a dirty word with a negative connotation. We see a woman battered and abused by a controlling man. We see barefoot and pregnant, jumping up at the mere tinkling of  an empty glass. We see a woman void of self-esteem and self-confidence, watching her life wither away and die.
It couldn't be farther from the truth.
Interestingly, in this passage, God commanded a woman to be submissive, but He did not command her to love her husband. He did, however, command the man to love his wife. In fact, the command was not just to love her, but love her enough to make sacrifices for her. To love her as Christ loved the church.

That is a really tall order.

So, we get a man (if we choose wisely) who will take responsibility for the decisions he makes, love us with a God kind of love, be willing to make sacrifices for us, cover us, protect us and even be willing to kill or die for us, and all we have to do is let him be the head of the family.

Wow...

Another saying my husband frequently throws out is:
"She treats me like a dog! She makes sure I have plenty to eat, and that I have a cold drink on a hot day, let's me lay my head in her lap, loves on me and tells me what a good boy I am. At night, she lets me snuggle up against her and scratches me in all the right places. She doesn't even yell at me when I make a mess in the house."
So ladies, don't get too worked up over that submission thing. When you really think about it, we get the better end of the deal.
Anyway, where would a head be without a neck? The body would just be a no-neck monster...