For one evening this month, Ashley and I got the rare
opportunity to stay at the house of a Ukrainian Babushka. She lived in a quaint
little cottage house near a local river. We spent the evening venturing out
into the area surrounding her house and I was amazed at the beauty of the land
around her house. It was an evening that ended up being super revelatory.
We started out walking through her acres of fields. She took
care of the fields on her own and grew everything from corn and tomatoes to
pumpkins and watermelons. We made our way to the river behind her house and
spent some time taking pictures while Timothy went for a short dip in the
water.
As soon as we left the river’s edge, Timothy translated to
us that she wished to take us to the bridge upstream. So, we headed off walking
in the direction of the bridge. As we neared it, I was in awe at the majestic
beauty of my surroundings. On one side, there was a beautiful mountain. On
another, you could see fields for miles. On another, a serene river flowed
through the landscape. On another, the sun was setting over the horizon.
On another, and to our destination, lay a gorgeous wrought
iron bridge spanning the width of the river. Immediately, I started shooting
picture after picture, hoping to capture at least some of the beauty that I was
breathing in and living in that moment.
We started our walk across the river and I spotted several
padlocks along the wrought iron railing posts. I asked our Babushka what they
were for and, with Timothy’s help, she explained their purpose.
On their wedding days, new couples come out to the bridge to
proclaim their love to the world. They bring with them a padlock with their
names on one side and a message on the other. Together, they close the padlock
around the iron and lock it in place. Then, hand in hand, they throw the key
into the river along with the message that will last a lifetime…our love is
locked and sealed…nothing will separate what God has started…the life that we
have begun together will last into eternity.
When I heard the story and saw the padlocks, I was slightly
stunned. It hit me just how much God does the same with us.
He slowly unlocks our hearts. His grace, mercy and
unconditional love pour out onto us and into our lives. He’s loved us forever,
but we begin to see His love and respond to Him. And then we make the decision
that will change our lives forever. We fully hand our hearts to Him and say “my
life is no longer mine, but it belongs to You.”
And it’s in that moment that we put our hands in God’s, help
Him lock our hearts up with His, and, hand in hand, throw the key away, never
to be found again.
It’s a testament of His unconditional love. It’s a witness
to His eternal glory. It’s a fulfillment of His faithfulness and His promises.
My heart is locked up within His. I’ve thrown away the key.
I’ve decided that my life is not my own and it never will be just me. I’m in a
covenant that’s eternal. Nothing can separate what God has ordained.
Forever…it’s me and Him.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am
sure that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
What has been started, let NOTHING separate.
