1,000 FEET OF TWINE

I’ve always considered myself a romantic. 

I love to hear stories about how couples met, where they went on their first date, and of course, the proposal story. I even teared up when Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt got married in season five of Parks and Recreation. To me, these gestures not only make great stories but also creatively convey the love that two people have for each other. That is why when my friend Cody told me he needed my help doing something romantic for his then girlfriend/now wife, Ashley, I was all in. 

I met Cody and Ashley during my first week at William Jessup University. At this time, they were not dating. Ashley was my group leader during New Student Orientation and helped me get assimilated at Jessup. She was also a senior studying intercultural studies as well as a member of our school’s choir.  

I met Cody shortly after. We were both juniors studying Christian Leadership.  As two transfer students in our mid-twenties, we quickly bonded over our similarities in age and major, as well as the game of Backgammon. Backgammon is the board game with points, checkers, and dice that is often included with chess sets. While Cody and I played many games of Backgammon during our time at Jessup (some more memorable than others), it was a night that we chose to not to play Backgammon that was a night I will always remember.  

It was 9 o’clock on a Sunday night.  I had a research paper due in my New Testament Survey class later that week. I had successfully procrastinated from it for the whole day. However, after doing laundry and meal preparing for that week, I was nearing the end of my detour. I was just getting ready to open up my laptop to begin my assignment when I saw my next exit, it was a text message from Cody challenging me to a game of Backgammon. I immediately diverted my course to the Crawford Common, a gathering place on our school’s campus where students could hang out and study.  

When I arrived at the Commons, Cody was on the phone with Ashley. That weekend the choir was on tour, performing at a number of churches in the area, and was scheduled to return later that night. Since Ashley was a member of the choir, Cody had not seen her at all that weekend. Neither Cody nor Ashley lived on campus. Because of this, I assumed that Cody was hanging around so that he could see Ashley when she came back to pick up her car. 

“So, backgammon?” I asked as Cody finished his phone conversation with his special lady. 

“New Plan!” Cody enthusiastically exclaimed. “You, my friend, are going to help me do something special for Ashley.”

Cody went on to explain to me that Ashley was a little over an hour away from the school and that he wanted to surprise her. He told Ashley that he was tired and was going to head home. This, of course, was not true. What Cody wanted to do was tie a piece of string to the driver side door handle of Ashley’s car. Ashley could then follow this string, which would lead her around campus until it ended at a place where he would be waiting for her. 

“What do you think?” He asked.

“I’m in!” I responded. 

It was a simple, yet sweet gesture. Plus, my research paper was not going to procrastinate on itself. Cody and I began to discuss where we could buy a really long string at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night. Thankfully for us, there was a 24-Hour Wal-Mart Super Center 15 minutes from our school. 

When we arrived at Wal-Mart we were quickly engulfed by the colossal commercial space that is a Wal-Mart Super Center. Overwhelmed by the sea of merchandise, we opted to ask someone where we could find string, or something to that effect. One of the clerks pointed us towards the hardware section. There we found rope, cord, and twine in varying lengths, widths, materials, and colors. I no idea that there were that many options available (nor why you even would need that many options).

“This should do the trick,” Cody said as he picked up a 500-foot roll of twine, affordably priced at $3.24.

“Are you just going to get one roll?” I asked. Cody gave me a confused look.

“Do you think we’ll need more?” He responded.

“Well,” I explained, “You’re going to feel really dumb if we end up needing 600 feet of twine.” 

Cody nodded.

“That’s why I have you,” he responded, grabbing a second roll. 

The two rolls gave us a total of 1,000 feet of twine to work with; a bargain at $6.48. Cody also decided it would be a good idea to get some candy for Ashley. After another 5 minutes of navigating the depths of the Wal-Mart Super Center and wandering down the mislabeled “Candy” aisle (twice), Cody picked out some chocolate covered cherries, an inexpensive luxury at $1.46. This gave Cody’s romantic gesture a total price tag of $7.94 (plus tax). As a fellow romantic, I appreciated Cody’s thoughtfulness. However, as a fellow college student, I appreciated Cody’s frugalness.  

After paying for our items and returning to Cody’s car he decided to give Ashley a call to see how close they were to campus. This would help us indicate how much time we had. 

During this conversation, Ashley explained that they were still about 45 minutes away, but that they also had to drop off their rental car before returning to the school. This could add another 15 minutes to their trip back. Cody told her that he had already headed home for the night but that he had gotten her a gift.

“Since I won’t be there to give it to you myself,” he lied. “I asked Nick to leave it under your car.”

“All lies,” I said aloud to myself. Cody flapped his arm at me, motioning for me to be quiet. If Ashley heard me, his plan could be foiled. Cody told Ashley to text him when she got back to school so that he would know that she arrived safe and the two said their goodbyes.

“We have 45 minutes,” he said after hanging up.

“I heard,” I responded. I was still all in. 

When Cody and I returned to the school we began the execution of his plan, starting at Ashley’s car in the campus parking lot. Ashley drove a Cinderella blue Toyota Camry. She affectionately referred to it as, “My Prince Charming,” (a title that I am sure Cody was vigorously competing for). Cody tore the packaging off of the first role of twine and tied one end to the handle of Prince Charming’s driver’s side door. I carried the second roll of twine and the box of chocolate covered cherries. We then began our walk across campus, unraveling the roll of twine as we went. 

At about 250 feet, we prayed that the custodial staff would not clean up after us. 

At 500 feet, and about half-way to our end destination, we came to the other end of the twine. I gave Cody a smug smile.

“Now aren’t you glad that you bought this second roll of twine?” I asked Cody as I handed it to him.

“That’s why I have you,” he responded. Cody tied the first end of the new roll of twine onto the end of the first roll of twine and we continued to unravel the roll of twine on our trek across campus. 

At about 750 feet we stopped to explain to a confused campus security guard what we were doing.

“He is trying to do something romantic for his girlfriend,” I explained. 

At about 850 feet, another pair of students noticed what we were doing. They looked at the string, looked at Cody and I, looked back at the string, and then smiled. It was almost as if they were in on it too. 

At 1,000 feet we reached the parking lot at the other end of campus. A row of trees bordered the parking lot from a grassed area. We stepped through the trees and tied the box of chocolate covered cherries to the end of the twine. 

“What’s significant about this place?” I asked Cody.

“This is where Ashley and I like to go when we want to get off of campus but still be on campus,” Cody explained. 

I sat down on the grass and took in the view. 

The grass field stretched out for a few miles until it came to a road that split the ground from the sky. The lights of the highway looked like an extension of the stars above it and the sound of cars careening in the distance blended with the sound of wind racing around me. As I continued to take in the view, it felt like the sights and sounds of the city of Rocklin synced up with what I was seeing and hearing from Mother Nature. Instead of competing for my attention, these two smilingly conflicting forces swayed with one another to their own song. It was peaceful to watch and it was peaceful to listen. A few moments later, Cody’s phone lit up.

“Ashley just got here,” He exclaimed. 

It was time for me to leave.

“Good luck,” I said as I came in for a hug. 

“I owe you one,” Cody said as we embraced. 

“Yeah, you do,” I answered. 

I said goodbye and headed back to my dorm room. My research paper was waiting for me.

I didn’t know it that night, but by saying, “I’m in” to this mini romantic escapade, I was inadvertently writing myself into Ashley and Cody’s love story. Since then, I’ve have assumed the role of a supporting character in their love story. I have been able to participate in the small moments like planning a surprise date and the big moments like their wedding. 

—

Another love story that we are all invited to participate in is the story of God’s love for the world. In this story, we are both recipients and participants. Not unlike the twine that led Ashley to Cody, God gave us a line that leads us to him. 

John 3:16-17 reads: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (New International Version). 

This passage may have been the first memory verse that you ever memorized. For good reason, too. At its basic level, it tells us that God loves us and that Jesus is the one who leads us to him. 

As I mentioned above, we are both recipients and participants in God’s love story. Not unlike Cody inviting me to participate in his love story with Ashley, Christ invites us to participate in God’s love story with the world. 

Matthew 18-20 reads: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (New International Version). 

In this passage, Jesus gives us a role in God’s love story for the world. In this “Great Commission,” we learn that through Christ, we can lead others to God. 

—

When Cody told me of his plan for Ashley, I was all in.

Now that you know God’s plan for the world, are you?