Tropical Storm Julia hit our area last week. There was flooding like I’ve never seen here before. I’ve only seen such flooding when the news was broadcasting about areas other than mine. A photo of a glorious scene was posted online displaying the beauty that can emerge from a storm. I began to think about the usual comments made about how the sun will shine after every storm, and I decided to take this idea a step further to describe what I often hope couples will see during the stormy seasons of their marriages.
My husband and I chose new construction when we bought our home the same month we were married. Little flaws appear after a house will settle, and unless you have enough money for every upgrade you would ever want, there are things that tend to be added over time. Therefore, even that new home, wasn’t as perfect as it appeared to be at first sight. As the years go by, landscaping, painting, decorating, and tweaking may occur here and there. Well, if you know what it’s like to do upgrades on a house, it’s work. The house will also go through storms, and each one requires some cleanup. Sometimes it’s just yard work, maybe it requires replacement of shingles on a roof or even a new roof and removal of a tree. What about a major storm that could even possibly level the entire house? What would an owner do at this point? Well, what can be done is a rebuild of that home, thanks to insurance. Without insurance, the possibility will remain, but may present an even higher degree of difficulty for most homeowners. Later, that house that went through settling, many small storms, some patchwork and repairs, and finally destruction from a major hit has been reconstructed. The home has been made new again and superior to the earlier version. You see, the bigger the storm, the more work that needs to be done, but the better the outcome.
A brand new house is like a brand new marriage. It’s exciting and seems to be flawless. Flaws are eventually made evident. Many people are not willing to do the work, and reconstruction after a major storm has leveled the relationship seems nonviable. Many couples view this point being beyond repair. Couples that go through the process of restoration, after a major storm, may come out better than ever. When it’s time for a marriage make-over, what insurance does a couple have to increase the likelihood of the marriage being rebuilt? God’s Knot, the cord of three strands, is an insurance policy where the hope of the glorious outcome of sunshine, rainbows, and restoration lies after a storm. Tragic storms and restoration are always possible in any marriage, but the insurance policy of Gods’s hand in it all allows for endless possibilities.
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
