I grew up in the Philippines. It was very different than living in the US. Many things were different including closets. Most walk in closets in the US have a switch by the door to turn on the light. All three of our bedrooms had walk in closets with a light in the center, but instead of a switch there was a string on the light to pull and when pulled, the light came on.
Sometimes this was rather inconvenient, especially at night when everything was dark and you couldn’t see the string. I’d walk into the closet with my hand straight out in front of me, waving it back and forth hoping to feel the string. I kept moving deeper into the closet until I would brush the string, grab it and pull. The light came on and everything could be seen.
I once heard someone say that faith was like searching for a light string in a dark closet. You know the string is there, even if you can’t see it. You will persist because you know its there.
A marriage is much the same. Often marriages get focused on the individual needs of the husband or the wife. When that happens the focus becomes selfish and self serving. In a good marriage a husband and wife will partner together to find the “light string” that fills their marriage with the stuff that makes it work. They will sit down and together commit to pursuing it through good communication and common goals for their family.
Cover of The Karate Kid (Special Edition)
Some marriages don’t find the “light string” until much later, 15 or 20 years after the “I dos.” Faith is keeping at it, and knowing that a good marriage does exist.
In the first Karate Kid, through a series of seemingly unrelated chores that Miyagi sets out for Daniel, polishing his cars, cleaning the wooden deck, and painting the fence, the teenager learns discipline and earns Miyagi’s trust and affection. It isn’t long before Mr. Miyagi demonstrates how these simple tasks are powerful karate moves, and Daniel becomes exceptionally good at learning about balance, both in life and in karate.
The same is true in marriage. Have faith that the tough stuff of life, over time, will help you find the “light string,” and when you pull it… everything will make sense.
