Authentic Christianity in Marriage

I grew up in a vibrant church community. We were blessed with a large young adults’ group in our church.  So we talked among ourselves about the Bible and how it applied to our lives.  One phrase generated a lot of discussion.  “Wives, submit to your husbands.”  Among my friend group, I don’t think we seriously thought about that phrase.  I think we used it more as a joke where the guys would remind the girls that this was in the Bible.  The girls would have clever comebacks to the guys.  We didn’t think about how this verse was lived out within a marriage.  Then Lori and I got married.  We had to make the usual adjustments that come in the early years.  But I can’t remember this verse coming up a lot in our marriage.  Then we moved to a new church.  We soon discovered that a couple there faced serious marital difficulties that included abuse.