The Third Strand

Learning how to braid takes time. As a kid, I remember holding my doll's hair in three different sections and twisting and turning them in the hopes that the end result would be a braid or at least something that resembled a braid. But even after someone showed me the proper way, it still took time and practice to make it work.

Though I wasn't very skilled or knowledgeable, there was one basic thing that I understood about a braid - it absolutely took three strands to make it stay together. Removing one strand would completely disqualify it as a braid and it would eventually unravel. 

The Bible talks about a cord of three strands not being easily broken. It's a picture of a braid, and it's found in a text of Scripture specifically discussing relationship. It tells us that two are great together. But if it's going to hold together, you need a third strand to make it work and make it last. That third strand is God, Himself. Any relationship with God intertwined in it is always the best kind of relationship you can have. Those are the ones that are not easily broken.

Consider the relationships in your life. Are there any being held together with two strands? Your marriage? Your relatives? Your business partner? God is presenting Himself as the Third Strand to us. He is the Strong Strand that can weave in and out and bring Strength, Order, and Beauty. 

He is the Strand that completes the Braid. 

“Two are better than one, 

because they have a good return for their labor: 

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 

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

But how can one keep warm alone? 

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:9-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

                                         http://bible.com/111/ecc.4.9-12.niv