With God: United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
Volunteering for the Army that very cold day in early January 1982 (and leaving for boot camp a couple of weeks later, after getting married to my most-beautiful bride), I was somewhat prepared for the discipline and by-the-book regimen that came with being a soldier. Part of that preparedness came from what I learned as a Cub Scout years before.
Though I eventually dropped out of the Boy Scouts program as a ‘Webelo’ (the stage between Cub Scout and Boy Scout), the basic skills and discipline I received as a ‘Cubbie’ were not forgotten, nor the sense of duty to God and country, and the responsibilities as a citizen and a team member. This helped me very much throughout my life and I am thankful to have been a part of it, though at the time I may not have appreciated it as much as I should have or could have.
When I was a Cub Scout (back when it was a God-centered, boys-only, ‘quasi-paramilitary’ organization); it taught young boys the skills and discipline to be self-sufficient men (not the ‘let’s add girls into the mix and feminize the boys to be wimps’ social club it seems to be today, in my outside-looking-in observation/opinion). One item I remember in our Pack meetings (Pack 437, Raccoon Township, Pennsylvania to be precise) was the preamble to the semi-annual award ceremonies, when the Scoutmaster (a Mr. Rodich) would take three sticks and a leather cord onto the stage.
He would first take one stick, stand it up and let go. The stick of course would fall over. Then he would pick up the 1st stick, tie it to the 2nd stick in a upside-down V shape, and the two would be a little bit more stable, but then they would fall over. He would pick them up, tie the 3rd stick to the first two to make a ‘teepee’ tripod, and all three sticks would stand firmly in place.
The first stick, Mr. Rodich said, stood for the individual Cub Scout. The second stick was the Pack, or the Boy Scouts overall, as an organization. The third stick was God, who ‘stabilizes’ all things so with Him as the 3rd stick, all things can stand firm.
Likewise, the three-strand cord in Ecclesiastes 4:12 is harder to break than just one stand or two strands, when twisted together. When God is the 3rd strand, He bears the strain when the other two are about to break.
In marriage, the husband & wife team together are somewhat stable like the two sticks, or can withstand stress better than one, but eventually can fall or break due to worldly events. Adding God as that 3rd stick and tying those sticks with a cord with Him as the 3rd strand becomes a stable and unbreakable bond.
In today’s society, the divorce rate is roughly 40%, as if it is to be expected that marriages should end in divorce. Even in Christian circles the divorce rate is high. The reason is today’s couples do not add that 3rd and most important piece, God, into the relationship – even ‘Christian’ couples. Marriages with God in the forefront stand strong, and likely those comprise the 60% that do not experience the pain of divorce.
If you’re single, whether never married, divorced, or widowed – how do you stand? Think you don’t have a second stick? Remember God is a Triune God, and is not just singular but He is also plural with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to keep you upright. The church is considered the ‘bride of Christ’ (Ephesians 5:22-30), so that is your second and third stick. Singles also have the support of our MBC (or any Christ-focused, Biblically-centered) church family, and its Life Groups and Bible Studies – so you even have a ‘fourth stick’, as well!
You as a single person are tied with your church as support as well as the Triune God. If you feel alone, please reach out the church – don’t feel you need to be by yourself! Even if it’s just to talk, we are all here in this together- with Christ, of course!
Don’t go it alone, and don’t think it’s ever ‘just the two of us’ or if single, ‘it’s only just me’. With God, three is good company to stand together and He is always available.
