Not Easily Broken

This weekend my wife and I saw the movie, “Not Easily Broken”. Without giving it totally away, the movie tells the story of how various people cope with the challenges of life and the complexities of changing life situations. The story centered around a couple who on paper were perfect; yet life’s changing circumstances forced them to take a deep look inside to realize that they had ignored and neglected the true strength behind their relationship and the bond that they vowed to protect when they committed themselves to one another.

Life is filled with distractions. These distractions come in many forms and have may names. Careers, Friends, Family, Stress, Death, Loss, Success, Health, etc. Anything in your life that takes your focus away from you ultimate purpose or from your relationship with God is a distraction. As with the main characters in the movie, as they drifted away from their “1st Love”, the strength that came with putting God first also diminished in their lives. They began to drift apart and they tried to fill the void left by the absence of the Love of God with other things. They soon found out that the voids in their lives reserved for God to fill could only be filled by Him…nothing else would do.

Instead of relying on one another and on God, they became inward focused and tried to find fulfillment in themselves. God has not called any of us to be “solo artist”. Everyone has a purpose and function within God’s plan and each person is a contributing part to the whole. There is strength in numbers especially when God is in the “counted”.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says:
9-10 It's better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there's no one to help, tough! 11 Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night. 12 By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped

This was the basis for the movie and holds a simple truth. We are more apt to fail when we go it totally alone. We increase our chances for success when we partner with others. Furthermore, if we operate with the “three-stranded rope” mentality where we allow God to be the 3rd strand that binds together our partnerships/relationships, we will find that our relationships will be successful and fulfilling and our lives they will become “Not Easily Broken”.

Individually, we can easily find ourselves overcome and overwhelmed with our situations and circumstances. The strength of all of our relationships can and will be tested. It is those relationships that are fused together by God that will empower us to press on and to be victorious.

Take time today to reflect on your relationships. With God, with your spouse, with your children, with your siblings, with your friends, with your extended family, with your neighbors, with your co-workers… Have you gotten off track and forgotten your 1st love? Are those relationships suffering because you have allowed the “distractions” of life to dominate your thoughts, to dictate your actions and to put a strain on your relationships? Take time today to sincerely express your love toward someone who you have been too “distracted” to love. Let him/her know that the bond of love that you share is one that is “Not Easily Broken”.

Be Blessed,
B