By a wide margin, the highest grossing motion picture of all time is Titanic. Well, that makes sense. It is really two movies in one— a love story sandwiched wrapped inside a disaster flick, which makes it the perfect date movie. It is the story of Jack, a fun-loving, self-absorbed penniless artist and Rose, a sad, suicidal socialite being forced to marry a man she did not love. These two people are about as different as night and day, but the boy from steerage accidentally meets the girl from the first class, and they fall immediately and deeply in love. Unfortunately, they don’t live happily ever after; this is after all the Titanic. During the sinking of the great ship, Jack dies so that Rose can live.
Marc Newman uses the movie Titanic to make a point to college students about the nature of true love. The question Newman asks his students to debate in class is this— “Given what we know of Jack’s character, do you think that he and Rose would have had a successful marriage?” After all, their love story didn’t really even get started before it was ended in the great disaster. Would their marriage have worked, or would it have been a disaster. Newman writes—
When push came to shove, Jack was able to make the single grand gesture to the beautiful woman, and give his life that Rose might have a chance to live. But could Jack, would Jack, have married Rose? And if so, could he have put up with the daily self-denials that are required to maintain a marriage over fifty years, when his lover is no longer young and nubile? G.K. Chesterton commented that many people say that they will do anything for love, except sacrifice for it.
Is it possible that dying for the one you love in a blaze of glory is not nearly as difficult as living and sacrificing for them daily? I think Newman is on to something there. Living for someone in a daily sacrifice of love and self-denial is much harder than a single gesture. Maybe that explains why so many people are giving up on their marriages these days. Maybe that explains why so many people are giving up on living for God.
4 comments:
Continue sacrificing daily; stretching endurance as it gives long lasting results. Think twice before allowing yourself to die in a blaze of glory to save another’s. What greater love is there? Lay down your life for the love of another (a little each day). As you sacrifice you will be renewed and exponential rewards for your work is piled up were no one is be able to steal them.
We do seem to be able to sacrifice much more easily in the young love versus that of the 20th year in a marriage. Could it be that we migrate towards Idolatry as we become more attached to “stuff”. 1 Cor 3:5 tells us to put “greed” to death (which is idolatry) for it makes money (or stuff money bought) our God. In other words, it secures the affections which properly belong to God, therefore is, idolatry. The NLT describes as “Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. How many times is it evident that marital property is the reason for bitterness during divorce? The spouses do not want to give up the house, the cars, the “proverbial” half of the assets. After all one or the other provide more and should take away more when the marriage is dissolved. More and more value is placed on our material possessions and less and less on our relationships. 1 Cor :12 also provides the remedy “….Col 3:12-13
you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” As with much of God’s guidance for living, its easier said than done.
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