"Iceberg! Right ahead!" Remember those words in the epic motion picture "Titanic?" The captain of the 'unsinkable ship' had received the warnings from other vessels about icebergs drifting further south than normal and adjusted to a more southern route. But later warnings failed to reach the captain and the rest is history. Had those additional warnings been heeded, 1,517 souls could have been saved that fateful day, April 15,1912.
Fast forward to February 10,2012 - a century after one of the worst disasters in history, 18 married couples climb the mountain on their annual quest for marital bliss. Blowing Rock, NC is a picturesque sleepy town in the mountains of North Carolina. Snow drifts and fierce winds welcomed the couples that Friday evening, but perhaps a sentinel standing at the pinnacle of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, could have warned them of the Sirens. In Greek mythology, Sirens were depicted as beautiful seductresses with enchanting voices who lured sailors to their deaths by causing their ships to wreck on the rocky shores.
It never fails. Every year that we are on the mountain, the Sirens try to lure another unsuspecting couple (or two) to their death. No, not a death in terms of one's physical body expiring and the soul is released to their final resting place. This death is the death of what God ordained - the marriage. The Great Deceiver, Satan himself, is the master at putting that iceberg in the path of our vessel. No one can foresee the huge iceberg that has drifted into our path on a moonless night. We have no warning until it is upon us and we try to move one way, but we only cause more damage.
The Titanic's fatal mistake was that she turned hard starboard in attempts to avoid the huge berg. Had she stayed true to her course, she would have rammed the berg head on and chances are she would have survived the collision. It was how she was designed. Her sides weren't protected, but her bow was made to withstand a frontal assault.
Satan is crafty. He knows that when we are expecting his tactics, we are more prepared. We pray. We shepherd each other. We get into the Word and worship corporately together. But he also knows when we are not protecting our flanks. He disguises his attacks in ways mere mortals can't anticipate. Money troubles. Weaknesses of the flesh. Differences in how we parent our children. Job uncertainty. Substance abuse. Pornography. All of these are potential accelerants that Satan can throw on the smoldering ember he as placed in our hearts.
On the mountain, we gather together and share our challenges. We confide in one another in hopes that our honest assessments of our marriages will help other couples avoid the fatal blows to our unprotected sides. And yet Satan still finds a way to weasel his way into our worship. This year, a couple who has shepherded many younger couples throughout the years felt his arctic grip on their hearts. Marriage for them had ceased to exist. Sure, they both wear wedding bands, but the marriage was/is hanging on by a thread.
A thread. A single strand of string that holds one piece of fabric to another. Thread is fragile, easily severed when too much weight is attached to one of it's ends. Dead weight, like the weight of a spouse who has folded his last hand of poker. With no more chips for the ante, he walks away from the table and retires for the night. But when both ends of the thread are supporting dead weight, the ensuing snap will be sudden and violent. The two fabrics crumble to the floor and are only usable for dust rags going forward. However, when the thread holding those fabrics together is Jesus Christ, all things are possible.
Christ is the thread that when woven between to people, a beautiful tapestry is created. From that tapestry, a Christ centered marriage, many 'minor masterpieces' are painted! Children, loyalty, true friendship and Agape love create the mural of our lives. God plants that thread in our heart in hopes it will grow into something larger. When threads are bundled together they begin to form strands. Strands braided together begin to form rope. Ropes bundled together are called kurrcie, which in the old days were attached to the anchors of large ships. Ships like the RMS Titanic. Two and a half miles deep in the Atlantic Ocean, a large anchor sits in absolute darkness. Pitch black. Icy cold water. The rope that held that anchor lies still attached.
Married couples, here me on this. God is our sentinel atop the mountain warning us of the approaching rocky shoreline or iceberg. He has linked us all with the thread of Jesus Christ and no matter what the weight of the fabrics on the opposite ends, the thread is stronger than Satan's puny grip on our weak hearts. God's plan for our marriage is 'unsinkable' no matter how hard Satan tries, as long as we allow His Word to dwell exclusively in our hearts. When we allow any foreign material to take root, we begin to cut the individual fibers of the thread. Be wise to the deceitful tactics of the Great Deceiver and guard your flanks as strongly as your bow.
Eighteen couples went up the mountain that Friday evening. All in different states of fray. Some more frayed than others. Some were kurrcie, bound tight and strong. Others were clearly only a micro fracture away from sudden SNAP!! On Sunday, we left the mountain emotionally drained, physically worn out and red eyed from the tears. The iceberg was right in front of us. Some chose to turn to miss it. Others faced it head on, full speed ahead. But the overwhelming feeling was that our Father in Heaven was standing on Mount Mitchell looking down on little Blowing Rock and He was leading us to safer waters. "Iceberg! Right ahead!!" No problem at all when God is the captain of your vessel.
