Braided Together
"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Ecclesiastes 4:12
A
friend gave me a houseplant she’d owned for more than forty years. The
plant was equal to my height, and it produced large leaves from three
separate spindly trunks. Over time, the weight of the leaves had caused
all three of the stalks to curve down toward the floor. To straighten
them, I put a wedge under the plant’s pot and placed it near a window so
the sunlight could draw the leaves upward and help cure its bad
posture.
Shortly after receiving the plant, I saw one just like it in a waiting room at a local business. It also grew from three long skinny stalks, but they’d been braided together to form a larger, more solid core. This plant stood upright without any help.
Any two people may stay in the same “pot” for years, yet grow apart and experience fewer of the benefits God wants them to enjoy. When their lives are woven together with God, however, there is a greater sense of stability and closeness. Their relationship will grow stronger. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
Like houseplants, marriages and friendships require some nurturing. Tending to these relationships involves merging spiritually so that God is present at the center of each important bond. He’s an endless supply of love and grace—the things we need most to stay happily united with each other.
Shortly after receiving the plant, I saw one just like it in a waiting room at a local business. It also grew from three long skinny stalks, but they’d been braided together to form a larger, more solid core. This plant stood upright without any help.
Any two people may stay in the same “pot” for years, yet grow apart and experience fewer of the benefits God wants them to enjoy. When their lives are woven together with God, however, there is a greater sense of stability and closeness. Their relationship will grow stronger. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
Like houseplants, marriages and friendships require some nurturing. Tending to these relationships involves merging spiritually so that God is present at the center of each important bond. He’s an endless supply of love and grace—the things we need most to stay happily united with each other.
Reflect & Pray
What
can you do to strengthen the spiritual bonds you share with the
important people in your life? How might your relationships change if
serving and worshiping God together became a priority?
Dear God, I welcome You into my closest relationships today.
Simply by being here on this wonderful campus helps strengthen the spiritual bonds I share with others. Being around other Christians is a wonderful reminder that God works in all of us.
ReplyDeleteTo strengthen bonds in my life, I need to spend more quality time. I need to nurture it by keeping in contact and being intentional about checking in and loving on the people in my life that matter from afar. All my family is in WA State, so being intentional is very important for me to stay close to my family. Not having God at the center creates he largest wedge, there is no fruit. Having the Lord at the center is what strengthens you together, It will change the whole trajectory of your relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis really speaks to the necessity of going to church! Life gets messy, busy, and is fraught with distractions. Celebrating our faith with one another helps us to re-center ourselves and find peace amidst the chaos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely analogy to let God weave together our relationships, at work, and with family. I think a wonderful way to strengthen the bonds I have is to pray together with those I care about. I need to do more of this. Life can get so crazy that it is easy to forget to nurture the bonds that are so vital to living a life centered on God.
ReplyDelete