Triple-braided

"This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. "(Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 NLT)

"I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything, you know that he is not seeking himself, but that pure benevolence sways his heart."

We are not made to be strong though the significance and vitality of our connections to others, rather,the omnipresence of Christ enables the love connection that bounds two together. Some rely on the close presence of another to quell the doubt and resignation, but so long as the stilt of humanness is the only reinforcement present, the ever present storms of life will always sweep that away.

Many a preacher speak of aligning with believers as the route of choice for spiritually guided relationship, and while it is so that one must avoid the those who walk in the mire, one must realize the nature of a yolk. A yolk constrains both from moving independently, with a yolk, neither can move forward or backwards without the consent of another. Our human autonomy prevents us from engaging in this for very long, for thankfully, the freedom we have discovered though Christ causes far too much unrest to ever long be yolked.

For as Solomon points, our desire for the company of a another comes not from the desire to be simply be yolked, but the desire to be bonded, in not a sense that parts us from the freedom we have established in Christ's, but rather a desire to binded in a way that allows us to rather the storms that weather our hearts and minds throughout our time here. Also notice that Solomon did not simply say stand and not be defeated, but to stand and conquer. Our purpose in God's kingdom is not just to get here and get out alive, but to declare his presence here and thrive. He desires us to not be princes and princesses on the cusp of greatness, rather as kings and queens willing his eternal spirit to every corner of the earth.

We do not long towards another out of complacency, rather we do so out of a desire to be made stronger, out of a desire to be bonded with each other due to him. For while a tenuous knot frays quickly, one tied though the wholeness of Christ is limitless in it's strength. As we seek you, Lord, we desire to be made whole in your strength and your ties.