Double Crossed or Doubled Cross

The event of the century.

Duplicity and Perfidia lived at opposite ends of the spectrum. But today, today they were to unite in ways large and small. The small town was abuzz with the potentials and possibilities. They were to be joined at the hip and wedded in ways no one could ever imagine. Each carrying their deepest secrets with them as they walk down the aisle of no return. Duplicity and Perfidia were considered to be the beautiful people. Popular, everyone wanted their story to be ever lasting. And did whatever possible to break the union.

Quietly, as their secrets simmered below the surface, so did true disdain by others for their demise…. All along, the locals pretended to support the two, but in reality took great steps to come between the two over and over.

Why then was this such a big day? Such a big deal?

Trucks had been delivering goods and services for a month. The mostly quiet town now saw stores and bars and salons busy, busy, busy as never before. Women were shopping until they dropped for that special purse and must have shoes. Men would be looking spiffy with suits and ties. Perfectly coiffed hair.

A week before, the dance floor was laid on the grassy ground, under the giant white tent. Today, flowers were set up on the perimeter. Beautiful tulips and the like.

It was to be the event of the century in this podunk town of intertwined gossip and ongoing innuendo. It is a wonder that the egos in the room could stand together during the impending moment of truth. Stories swirled endlessly as Duplicity and Perfidia simply attempted to live a normal life. Perfidia preferred a mundane existence. Duplicity was more of a stir the pot individual and sought excitement with a desire to change things up.

How, then was it to be, that these two very different people were to be together until death do they part?

Divine intervention.

Imperfection.

Fact and opinion seldom explain the whole story.

Duplicity stood looking in the mirror straightening his tie. His fellow attendants were in the room with him at the time, smoking, laughing and smacking on the finest treats brought in from all over the country. This was to be the wedding of the century in this small town and anyone who was anyone planned to attend. To bear witness to the union of all unions.

After all that had been attempted, Duplicity and Perfidia had stood the test of time. Ironic and a bit hypocritical of the townspeople to get all gussied up and wish to stand there to watch a couple unite after all they had continually done diabolically in their power to break up Duplicity and Perfidia. For years. Too many years.

Perfidia was having the finishing touches done on her, with baby breath tiny flowers being woven in her hair. Spoiled beyond measure she was the envy of the women, and the target of their jealousies. Her shortcomings were inflated as the locals tried repeatedly to bring her down to her knees. And they succeeded. Many times.

How? Did Perfidia and Duplicity get this far? Come to this moment of unification? Betrayal of those who claimed to love her, Perfidia trusted only one. Too many times, she had been double crossed and the scars deep within confused her good sense. Through thick and thin, Duplicity and Perfidia developed a deep and mutual understanding of one another. The pain they sometimes felt was often the result of the cruel work of the tentacled messiness of intruders constantly wanting “in.”

One important turning point solidified their regard for one another. Perfidia invited Duplicity to the Fourth Watch of the Night. Perfidia was regularly woken up at 3 am. God wakes believers up at 3 am with a divine invitation to follow Him and He carries them to 6 am with stories of truth, faith and rescue. During this spiritual stretch of time their mutually and personally held beliefs and lives changed forever. As a result, they quietly devoted themselves to one another. Described as a pre-dawn stretch. A stretch of ability and a stretch of personal faith. Of what is, what was and what always will be.

Divine rescue.

A pivotal spiritual encounter of truth.

In this podunk town of spiritual warfare, this extravagant event didn’t even matter to Duplicity and Perfidia. Yet, it was happening in a few minutes and the townspeople demanded it in order to bear witness. They had been diabolical in their attempts to drive a wedge between the two. In cruel ways and never ending gossip and in your face ignorances. The Fourth Watch is a time when both divine and demonic activities are at their peak. Par for the course in this town. Perfidia referred a passage to Duplicity during their together Fourth Watch and Duplicity understood. Jesus mentions how, while people were asleep, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. The enemy often tries to disrupt what God is doing during this time.

“But as believers, we have authority through prayer to resist these attacks.” Perfidia suggested to Duplicity during the 5 o’clock hour of the Fourth Watch prayer service Duplicity was present. Fully present. Staying awake during the early morning hours of 3 am to 5 is a privilege. God is calling for deeper intimacy.

Duplicity and Perfidia each aspired for this. Each one committed to one another inspite of and despite the repeated attempts of naysayers attempting to knee cap their union. When God chooses the early morning hours of tiredness or exhaustion, He is inviting us to see the world in a new light.

His light.

The organ music began and the hypocritical townspeople stood as Duplicity and Perfidia walked hand in hand to their understood destinies. As they looked at the rows of townspeople staring back at them, some in awe, some in wonder, some in green-eyed revolt, Duplicity squeezed Perfidia’s hand and she squeezed his.

No longer did the happy couple struggle to stay awake.

He had their unified back.

The townspeople can go jump in a lake.