ROPEY MAN

Yarn, string, and rope are are all materials that used to bind, fasten, or hold something in place. While similar, they are constructed differently for different purposes.

Yarn is a thick, soft strand of interlocking fibers. It is good for knitting into sweaters. String is a thin single-strand line made with twisted fibers. It is good for flying kites and tying packages. Rope is a thick multiple-strand cord made of multiple lines twisted together. You need rope when the load is heavy and the stress intense.

Yarn is soft and fragile. Exposed to the elements, it breaks down. You would not trust it to hold a kite for long before it frayed and disintegrated. String is thin and brittle. Stronger than yarn it is still likely to fail if subjected to too much stress. You would not trust it to hold a heavy load for long before it reaches the limit of its tensile strength and snaps. Unlike yarn and string, rope is thick and durable. It can do its job in rain, snow, or the searing sun. You would not knit a scarf from rope or tie your shoes with it, but if you had to anchor a boat in a storm you would need the strongest fastener there is—and that is rope.

Likewise with men and their relationships with themselves, those around them and their creator. Some are like yarn, soft and fragile. It would take little stress to unravel an obese man and separate him from his family and faith. Other men are like string, skinny but lacking enough muscle to hold tight when the load on their lives increases. Their connection to God is flinty and likely to snap when things do not go their way.

The Ropey Man is different. Physically, he is unlike the others, neither soft nor skinny but rather thick and durable. His relationships with his wife, family, friends, and colleagues are strong so that they can depend upon him not to fall apart like yarn in the rain or snap like string when the wind pulls his kite away from the ground.

Most importantly, the Ropey Man has a relationship with God that is powerful and independent of his daily circumstances. His faith keeps its tensile strength, even in a storm of doubt, so that he can continue to do good even when things are going bad.

When the rains pour down and the wind howls the yarney man disintegrates and the string man snaps. Only the Ropey Man holds fast until the end.