Tapping OutSample

Tapping Out

It’s guys night. The snacks are out. The big screen is on.

And the MMA action is about to start.

Have you ever watched an MMA fight? One where the combatants enter a closed cage and, through a mixture of martial arts, try to either knock each other out or have their opponent submit through “tapping out”?

I can hear the cheers as the fighters engage. I can feel the heart rate rise, watching the maneuvering of strikes and counterstrikes. And I can sense the intensity when one gets a tight hold on the other, and everyone waits for that motion—the “tap out”—where the defeated fighter taps his hand, signaling his submission, and the ref stops the fight.

When men hear the term “tap out,” we tend to think of it as defeat. It means the fighter can’t go on; they have exhausted all their strength, and their opponent has them in a position they cannot recover from. It means they submit and, ultimately, lose the fight.

This is not what the athlete ever wanted. They have trained for months, rigorously developing the skills they need to prevent this scenario.

But in the end, there can only be one winner, and tapping out may just be the only answer.

I wonder, though—if that’s the only definition we have of “submission,” is it an incomplete understanding? I mean, what does the Bible say about submission?

For men, somehow, the idea of tapping out seems wrong. After all, we are strong and fierce. But more than that, we have our pride and feel a sense of shame if we have to tap out. It means we aren’t strong enough, and we have lost.

But is that the picture the Bible has of submission? Is it only about defeat?

Or is there victory to be had when we truly understand what biblical submission is?

This week, as we examine the Bible's teachings on submission, we need to approach them in the right way. Submission is not about choke holds and arm bars but rather about our will and God’s will.

So, will you “step into the cage” and let God show you more about what true submission looks like and why it is actually a good thing?

There’s only one way to find out!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You that You are good. Help me this week to learn more about what submitting to You looks like and what it means for my life. Amen.

Reflection: What do you think of when you hear the terms “tap out” and “submission”? Take some time to talk to Jesus about it.