In Search of Camelot #5
What’s Really in the Enchanted Forest
Oh, that Enchanted Forest calls so many into a place that looks and sounds so good, but ends up destroying all they ever dreamed. It looks so good from a distance with all the trees and nice animals drawing us in to see what we can find in the forest. There are new mysteries and adventures in that forest. That is why it is called enchanted, because it sings to us to explore and see new things.
An Enchanted Forest is great until it involves a forest we should not be exploring. Our marriage is our own forest to live in and take care of, like we promised we would on the day we began our marriage. But on the edge of every forest is a path that leads to another forest, one that, though enchanting is filled with danger and disaster. I want to spend a few minutes talking about who lives in that forest and just how we can stay out of that enchanted forest.
There are some people who live in that enchanted forest and they can draw us into their forest and cause us harm. Let’s take a look at these characters and make sure we keep an eye out for them in our journey.
Robin Hood – Steals from the rich to give to themselves.
Robin Hoods always start with you and the problems they see in our marriages. But eventually they work it around to where they are just looking for someone to steal from. It is an affair that can start as a friendship, casual conversation or a random meeting. They make themselves appear to be something they are not and then once they gain your trust and then you end up broke in more ways than one.
Wicked Witch – Offers you a golden apple that ends up poisoning you
Many a person has tempted someone else with a promise of magic to only have it turn against you and you end up in a caldron or asleep for a long, long time. That is how some affairs happen, a promise and some good words and then you blow up everything good in your marriage. Beware of promises that seem to sweet to be true, because they usually are.
Big Bad Wolf – Looking for someone to devour
Some people are just going to say whatever they have to say to get at you. They get close with their words and tell you what you want to hear. No matter how good they make you sound you have to remember that at heart they are still a wolf.
Fairies and Wizards – Promising to make life magical with just a pass of the wand
Some people make promises of magical get aways and times to those who are looking for something to shake up their boredom. The problem with people who use tricks and wizardy is that eventually the curtain comes down and the show is over. Then you find yourself stuck with someone who does not have a trick up their sleeve anymore.
With all those characters in the Enchanted Forest we need to figure out how to stay out of the woods. So how do we stay out of the woods in our marriage? Glad you asked. A guy who ended up with hundreds of wives is going to tell us how to stay out of the woods and keep our marriage good.
Stay on the Right Trail
“Be faithful to your own wife, just as you drink water from your own well.” Proverbs 5:15 Solomon writes and tells us to stay on the trail we are on. The problem becomes when we come to a fork in the trail and are tempted to choose a different one. We need to realize that the trail we are on is a good one and need to follow it and stay true to what we promised when we began walking together.
Don’t Pick Fruit From Someone Else’s Tree
“Don’t pour your water in the streets; don’t give your love to just any woman. These things are yours alone and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.” Proverbs 5:16 – 17
Seems strange that a guy who seemingly loved every woman he could would tell us to love only one woman. Maybe he came to that conclusion when he woke up in a forest of trees he did not recognize. He might have come to his senses and realized he was in lust with a bunch of ladies and in love with none of them. Make sure you are not sharing your water with someone that is not your person. When you are on the trail water is essential. So, we better be sure we are not wasting it on the ground or just sharing it with just anyone.
Be Content and Celebrate With the One You Love
“Be happy with the wife you married when you were young. She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water. She is as lovely and graceful as a deer. Let her love always make you happy; let her love always hold you captive.” Proverbs 5:18 – 19
When you are on a journey through life it is always good to have someone to go with you. That is why we need to celebrate with who we have and not look around for someone else. IF you take care of your fountain then the water stays pure and is refreshing and cool. Nothing like drinking from a water hose in the middle of Summer in West Texas. But, it calls for work. Knowing what to put in your back pack to help along the trail. Not one day waking up and deciding we need something neither one of us packed. It is filling up the canteen and checking to make sure the water is flowing and pure that we are drinking. We need to bring along some snacks to keep us strong and then time together to grow closer.
The Enchanted Forest can be full of some bad characters that can lead us to a dead end. That is why we need to stay in our own forest and find the good shade spots, cool running fountains and let the trails we know be the ones we walk. Let our own forest and partner enchant us, and we will not have regrets that can haunt us later.