The threefold cord

This blog post is based on Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, which reads: 
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The "two" is two people, obviously. And the "two lie down together" refers to a married couple. But what or who is the third strand of the cord?   The third strand of the cord, of course, is God.  

Perhaps an illustration will be helpful.  In the 1970s, macrame was a popular craft. Macrame is used to make plant holders, wall hangings and bracelets. Macrame involves taking two cords, tying them around a dowel and then weaving the cords together into knots. The process to make a square knot involves taking the two outside cords and weaving them around the inner two cords.  The inner two cords are called knot-bearing cords.  The other cords are called the right knotting cord (the cord next to your right hand) and the left knotting cord (the cord next to your left hand).  

In a relationship then, the knot-bearing cords (2 and 3 in the diagram above) represent God.  The knot-bearing cords stay in the center of the knot. like an anchor, and like God, they never move.   The right and left knotting cords (1 and 4 in the diagram) represent the people in the relationship.  The knotting cords weave around the knot-bearing cords (God) and around and through each other.  

The finished macrame cords are very strong and can support heavy weight, such as a pot with soil and a plant.  Christian couples should make God the center of their relationship.  If God is the center of a couple's relationship, the relationship will stay strong and withstand anything.  But if one of the human parts of the threefold cord takes God out of his/her life, the cord will not be stable. If that happens, the cord will become weak and may unravel.  

If you're in a relationship, take some time to examine whether God is in the center of your relationship and how strong your relationship really is.  

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane