A couple of years ago, my wife and I were able to spend a few days in the Grand Canyon area. If you have never been there, you might think it is just a hole in the ground, which it is. But it is so much more. It is an incredible, beautiful, miraculous site that will take your breath away. You have to be there to really experience it.
But as gorgeous as the canyon is, it is also quite dangerous. As if you need to be reminded that a 5,000 foot drop could be deadly, there are warning signs everywhere about staying away from the edge. In spite of the cautions, people die there every year. In 2012 a young woman thought it would be great fun to have her picture taken next to a “Stay Away” sign so she could post it on Facebook. Yet as she climbed to get to the sign, rocks gave way and she fell to her death.
Too many times we similarly ignore the relational warnings; as you verbally bully your spouse to get your own way, he or she continues to distance themselves from you – until one day they are gone; flirting with your co-worker was exciting and didn’t seem too troublesome, until it became a full blown affair and cost you your job and your reputation; you knew that making that connection on Facebook with the old sweetheart was not smart but you enjoyed the attention – until it cost you your marriage.
We have all seen those warning signs that indicate “Danger – Keep Back – this could cost you everything” but you have ventured onto the loose rock, thinking “I won’t get caught – it can’t happen to me.” But when it does happen to you, you find that you would give anything to be able to go back and undo the damage.
Now is your chance, before the edge gives way. What are the relational warning signs that you know you should heed in your life? I encourage you to look at them closely, pay careful attention, then turn and get safely back behind the perimeter. Embrace your partner tightly – and don’t let go!