Strands of Three

9Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

10If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!

11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

12Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

We are a cord of three strands this little family of mine.  We are Mama, Daddy and Lukee.  We stick together even when we are miles apart.  Our faith unites us, our love binds us together and our devotion to each other keeps us strong.  God gave us the blessing of each other. Without Him there would be no us.


We are also each individual a cord of three strands.  We are mind, body and spirit united in God.  He keeps us together, in faith, through grace.  Redeemed.  Beloved.  Cherished. Protected. Strong together in Him.

What happens to a cord when one or two strands are frayed or worn?  What happens when they lose their close connection to each other?  What happens when we stop holding together and start pulling apart?

We become weak, we lose our strength and we lose each other.  When we get pulled apart, those are the times we need to stick together.  When I, or he or all of us feel like we are being ignored or we are not being heard, that is our signal to stop.  Pray. Pull together.  We each have an equally important role to play.   Equal but not the same.

Mind, body and spirit are the very same.  When our bodies and our minds draw away from God and our spirit we can lose that focus, that pull that keeps us together.  When it feels like I'm falling apart I know something is out of balance.  That one of my strands is not holding together with the others. 

Ropes can be fixed. They can be spliced, braided and repaired.   Sometimes when a rope is broken you can weave a new rope into it and create something brand new.  God is the Master weaver, and can bring us into a bigger rope, a stronger place.  He is without limit, if we can let go and give to Him the strands which are His already to weave into His will. 

In a rescue rope or a climbing rope each strand has a special job.  Some strands lend strength, others are the ones who provide unity to the other strands and some surround the entire rope protecting it.  We each have a role to play in the ropes God has woven us into.  What wonderful grace! What a grounding thought!

God wove this rope, He brought these strands together.  Each strand, alone, is weak. It cannot carry much or give much.  Together, however, together we are so much more!

It pains me deeply when I see sisters and brothers in Christ gnawing away, cutting and chopping at the ropes which God weaves.  It hurts my heart when people can't put the false gods of this world behind to stick together as children of the Living God.  I feel so sad when I see people crying for someone to help them and find that they are turned away for not being the right kind.  When the cords of community, the strands of grace are cut in the name of status, celebrity or anything else of this world.

Together we are so much more. Who are your strands?  Who has God woven you together with?  How can you stay strong, become strong again and resist being cut at by the world?  By grace, through prayer and with great love.  It takes more love to stay strong together than it does to fall away and fall apart.  How do you stay strong together?  What strands are in your rope that God has woven?