Fireproof

Today, as I went through a series of photographs on Facebook of the wedding of a young couple, I remembered my own walk down the aisle 11 years ago.

Married to the girl of my dreams, hopes and aspirations, I couldn't have asked for a better "best half". I remember the verse we had selected for our wedding, it was printed on the invitation cards, and would be the motto of our lives: "Ecclesiastes 4:9,10  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."

I remember the many times I have made mistakes, gone through difficult situations and  fallen down ...but every time I have had my wife to lift me up and keep me going.

The movie "Fireproof" is scheduled for screening in our local church next week and in curiosity, I went through the review and songs. The story line and the lyrics touched me deeply and helped me remember just how precious my marriage relationship is. Like one of the song says, this relationship is a one way road, we enter and commit never to leave:

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
And then commit to never leave
So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word that they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us, if we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us, but demand we give our all

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I would fight for you, would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for.

[Thanks to Amanda, Jennifer for lyrics]

However, there are times when within our married lives we start playing with "fire". "Oh, its a simple time pass"...."I can handle it"...."no problem, whats a litlle fun going to do?" we say...and before we know the boundaries we had so ernestly built up...are there to be pushed ...or even crossed. Oh what harm will a litlle look bring, or a gentle touch, or an unintended promise made, or a wrong turn only for a moment!  Before long, we realise that the clear areas of our black and whites...are now merging into shades of grey! Like it says in the Bible "but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then , when desire has concieved, it gives bith to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death " (James 1:14,15) Do we realise that for every mistake we deliberately make...there is a price to pay. Do we also realise that our footsteps are being closely followed...by little ones...and would we allow them too, to be singed by the fire!

There is another song in the movie that reminds us of this "playing with fire" and the lyrics go:

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

How long can we run away and hide from the "love in our homes and hearths"? Sometimes, we love to fester our old wounds....the more we play with them, the worse it gets. Healing of hurts seem to be such a difficult possibility. The emptiness continues to gnaw us. Sometimes we harden our selves...it doesn't affect me..we say. Did not some singer sing " I am a rock..I am an island...and an island never cries"!!. But it does affect us! Each time we try to hide our hurts, feelings and even escapades...the worse it eats us in the inside. It takes courage to go back...ask for forgiveness...get things right...and then healing begins.

I once heard a story of a son who had let is father down. He wrote a telegram saying "I will be on the train passing by our old house, if you still accept me, keep a white flag flying there". On that fateful day, he was looking out of the train window...and what would he see? From one station previous, on every house along the track there was a white flag and at his home there was a contingent of people carrying white flags...waiting for him.

Lets listen to this song and see if we can identify!

You run, you hide
As tears fall from your eyes
They fall like snow
From a wounded soul
You hold inside
The hurt of great divide
The hole is starting to get old

So come back to the light
To the love, you will find
It's been here all along
So come back to the start
And you'll find in your heart
That you always belonged
To me

Just take the rope
I won't let it go
Give in
We can start again
I'm life, I'm hope
And I'm ready to explode
With how bad I want you back home

You're my daughter, you're my son
You're the one I long to love
And you've heard I chose to die
Do you know you're the reason why?

It is the Lord who brought us together and attesting to this  is a third verse in our marriage commitment and motto, which says "a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecc4: 12). We have relaised time and again, that it is not the efforts of two people, or simply their trust in and honesty with each other....but the intervening presence of an arbitrator and peacemaker...that keeps bringing them to each other. Our relationship with each other betters with our relationship with our Father and peacemaker...and both of us are learning to wait on Him (Isaiah 40:31)

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

And today....if things are still not working out for you, why dont you take your troubles and fears, your hurts and disappointments to the peace maker...Jesus.

While the movie promises to be a good show, and I am looking forward to watching it...I would like our marriages to work best...yours and mine; so that as loving couples we all will be a source of blessing to many. I like the blessings from Numbers 6:25  "The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee" and here's wishing you the Lord to shine in your marriage life once again!

And, yes, you guessed it...there is another song:

Time keeps moving on
Through the sunshine and the storm
And my dreams are set in stone
And someday I'll be who I want to be
For now I'll wait
For the sun to shine again
And for now I'll wait
For the rain to pass away

And I'm looking for the brighter days
When all my hurts seem to fade away
I'm looking for the brighter days to come my way

Faces come and faces go
But none seem to look my way
And walls have stood and walls have fallen
But my heart seems to wait
For now I'll sit at the end of the road
And for now I'll wait
At the end of the pathway

I'll see the sun one day shine upon me
I'll see the sun one day
And watch the nighttime turn to morning
But for now it all comes back around

And here's my final words my friends for this blog. Wish you a blessed married life, and, since none of us is "fireproof", we will have to be careful not to play with fire!