I’m into exploring. Well, okay, I’m an “armchair explorer”
(extraordinaire).
But like most people, I’ve been fascinated by the discovery of The
Titanic. And who of us can easily forget the wonderful images of that Great
Queen of The Sea that Robert Ballard first brought to us.
Men had conjectured Titanic’s final resting place for years, but this
most famous of sea explorers discovered her; lying peacefully, 12,000 feet
below the surface.
She’s a beautiful thing, even now. That wonderful bow still juts her
proud face forward, while weird sea creatures float listlessly in the darkness.
At this depth, every square inch of the vessel is inundated by tons of
pressure; like an elephant on your thumbnail.
Ballard has always regretted not formally staking a claim on the great
ship, since others have attempted to strip her bare of her jewels, china,
chandeliers and any number of lesser objects. (And they’ve done a “good job” of
it). The explorer has characterized the ship as a graveyard, and has compared
the theft of these objects to stealing from the dead. And more than once he has
sworn that he would never participate in such behavior.
However, one day proved different from all the rest, and all his previous
exclamations and proclamations were challenged. Bob and a few comrades were
submerged two miles below their mother ship, and only the lights of the tiny
submarine separated them from the most intense darkness that exists on this
planet.
Suddenly, as the sub’s lights scanned the smooth sea bottom, the most
unlikely object appeared before them. A safe! Ballard’s hesitations and
reservations seemed to “fly out the window.” The explorer navigated the little
submarine closer, and began to manipulate the vessel’s built-in claw. (So
reminiscent of the “put a quarter in the slot and see if you can win a stuffed
animal” game).
The claw clunked against the side of the safe, and Ballard managed to
grasp its small handle. To no avail. It wouldn’t budge. The explorer surmised,
“Well, who can say. That safe may contain the most precious gems, stocks,
bonds, gold. Or it may be the ship’s purser managed to retrieve its contents
before the vessel went down. I guess we’ll never know. Our imagination will
have to fill up that safe.”
Now friends, I don’t know whether you’ve made the connection yet, but
“when push came to shove,” Bob’s “iron-clad” theory proved less stable than the
rusting hulk we call Titanic. Indeed, I think Ballard made a “titanic mistake,”
since all his commitments failed him that day. Not so very different from the
ship itself. For the unsinkable queen of the sea went down on her maiden
voyage and our explorer’s commitment failed almost as quickly! One can only
wonder what decision he might have made had the safe popped open and glorious
riches been discovered there. I guess we’ll never know.
I have been blessed to counsel several teens recently. They are just so
“real,” and (from my experience) they are verbal and forthright, (at least by
the time they move into a counseling process). Unfortunately, my three most
recent adolescent cases has involved teenage sexuality. There was the underage
father, and the pregnant girl and the young lady involved in premarital sex
with a classmate.
As a Christian counselor, I discourage any sexual expression that occurs
before or outside of marriage. In the case of the teenage father, I attempted
to move him back towards the standard we call “abstinence.” And for all I know
and understand he has renewed his commitment to that standard.
But so like the famous explorer, and Titanic I believe that commitment
will remain a theory ‘til it’s tested. What will the young man do when he’s
presented with his next “opportunity” to make the right decision? We’ve talked
about choices, but it’s all talk so far. What will he do when his vessel
happens upon the next treasure trove? (It’s interesting that the Apostle Paul
speaks of exercising control over our vessels; in this case, the human body).
I hope my young charge makes the right decision when he comes upon that
next “safe in the sand.” I hope he will refrain himself, and not attempt to
open it. I hope the decision he made in a quiet moment will stand the test in a
heated moment. I hope. I hope.
And friends, God depends on us to turn theory into action in any number
of areas of our lives. For we will be tested, and we ought count our boundaries
sacred, and we ought lean hard on the commitments we make to refrain from sin,
from deceit, from immorality.
That young man is paying a heavy price for a few moments of pleasure. I
refer to a concept I call “Short Term Satisfaction vs. Long Term Results.” In
this case ten minutes of pleasure has cost him 18 years of responsibility.
I think we should consider this principle every time we’re tempted to
compromise our standards.
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