Love Will Keep You Safe

May the LORD bless you and keep you.

Numbers 6:24, NCV

You would think our two young boys, ten and five at the time, would have been more impressed. Here we were, on a beautiful sunny day, standing on the steps outside Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria—the exact spot where Julie Andrews filmed the memorable “Do-Re-Mi” scene with the von Trapp children in the celebrated film The Sound of Music.

“Boys,” I (Leslie) said with excitement, “do you remember that scene? Remember how they all jumped on these steps and—”

“Are we going to see the fort?” John, our oldest, interrupted just as I was about to break into song.

“Yea,” little Jackson chimed in. “I want to see the fort.”

“Can we go to the fort now?” John asked again.

I suppose you can hardly blame them. Salzburg Fortress towers over Mozart’s city. This imposing structure is unmistakable. And to little boys who love the thought of being knights in armor with drawn swords, it’s simply irresistible. So we put our singing voices on hold and hummed “Climb Every Mountain” as we took the inclined railway up the steep hill to tour the great fortress and see all the weapons and armory that fascinate little boys.

It’s worth noting that throughout its long history, the thousand-year-old fortress with spectacular views of the city and the snow-capped Alps has never been captured or successfully besieged by its enemies. Which is exactly the point. A fortress, after all, is designed to keep you safe and out of harm’s way.

And in a very real sense, your love for each other is meant to do the same thing. When you keep your love alive, your love keeps you safe—safe from the squabbles that inevitably attack every unsuspecting couple; safe from the polarizing opinions that try to pull you apart; safe from the inexplicable moments that make you wonder why you chose to be with each other in the first place.

The word “keep,” when used as a noun, is actually the strong central tower of a fortress. The keep is the most defended area of a castle, containing the most important items for surviving during a siege. That’s why Christians around the world often conclude their worship service by singing the benediction: “May the LORD bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24, NCV).^a

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years.

—Simone Signoret

^a 156

From the book