What is being referred to are the massive ships that break ice - icebreakers. On the surface that is rather an odd thing for one who lives in Florida to be concerned with. But there is a great life lesson in icebreakers. With double hulled steel construction, icebreakers are designed to keep icy trade routs open as the ships push through to open seas. The rounded hull facilitates the massive ships to ride up on top of the ice floes, break them, then make a path. Added reinforcement to the bottom and sides of the ships are engineered to deter nipping caused by pressure from ice floes.
Powering these behemoth ships is also a key element. Adequate power is what will give the ship the impetus to plow through the ice like a linebacker cutting through an offensive line. Engineering has gone the extras mile in being proactive, for if an icebreaker breaks a propeller, it can be replaced while in the midst of a ice mass.
It should be noted icebreakers are vulnerable when they are at open sea. Their vulnerability exists from choppy waves. That is when their rounded hulls makes the icebreakers susceptible to capsizing. Later designs have developed devices to impede that from happening. Rolling seas are not for the faint, as it can get extremely rocky on board.
Icebreakers are such a great analogy for marriage. A couple starts out on the quiet waters of early marriage just getting out of the harbor. Once in the open seas, they may experience some turbulence. Many marriages are lost within the early years because they were not adequately prepared for the natural turbulence of two individuals becoming one flesh.
The real test is yet to come. You are in the midst of glacier-like challenges. Sickness. Financial downturns. Family discord. Loss of jobs. Spiritual shaking. Myriads of pressures. Infidelity. The list seems endless. At this point many couples abandon their marriages, thinking going on to another relationship will solve everything.
Couples who effectively navigate challenging waters of matrimony have several things in common with the icebreakers. One thing is dogged determination to get through the crisis. Matthew 6:34 states, "Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NASV). Then too, just as the icebreaker rides up and comes careening down, crushing the ice to pieces, so the committed couple joins together, crushing the temptation to give up. The last key comparison to mariage is the destination.
Final thought: A marriage of two believers which has the empowering of the Spirit of God will navigate through the sometimes troubled waters of matrimony by applying the principle found in the movie Apollo 13: "Failure is not an option."
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