Ecclesiastes 4 (Don't ever think that the stuff you have to do to "pledge" a "women's social club" is wasted. I had to memorize part of this for the super, duper, top secret ceremony. Don't tell anyone, 'k?)
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
This goes back to my idea about how Jesus handled life. Everyone needs a friend. And Jesus was lucky like I am lucky to work with friends. Work is less like work when you can spend time with people you like. I don't really know how much Jesus liked all the disciples, but really, they spent alot of time together. There must have been a bond, an appreciation. One may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. I think this may only work with men because every time I spent time with 2 female friends, fights were easy to find. That doesn't really matter. It's good advice.
One of the sessions I went to this weekend was about living in community with other Christians. I went because I struggle with that interdependence idea. I want to be IN-DE-PEN-DENT or die trying. I think this last verse sums it all up much better than that hour-long speaker did. There's strength in numbers, especially when those numbers support each other. And this world can be a battle where defense is critical. Jesus had a defense. Do you? I do. And I'm thankful. That's not true every day because sometimes that togetherness can get a little too "in my business" instead. But when life falls apart, I'm so thankful for my support, especially my 2 closest friends who make up my cord. I thank God for them.
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