As I was spending quiet time with the Lord and working through some challenges in my own life, I received the words: “Three Strands.” I immediately went to the Word of God for I knew that those words appear in the book of Ecclesiastes, which reads as follows in Chapter 4 verse 12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” According to the Oxford Online Dictionary, a cord is “a flexible string/rope made from several strands.” A strand is “a single thin length of something such as thread, fibre, or wire, especially as twisted together with others.” Therefore, it is “an element that forms part of a complex whole.”
Working in the Ministry with different kinds of challenges, there is one that stands out in all relationships and that is, communication. Whether the relationship is between a husband and wife, partners, friends, parents and children, siblings or colleagues, the same topic seems to come up every time, being a challenge with communication. This includes miscommunication, wrong communication and no communication at all. The result of this includes misunderstandings, confusion and perceptions, based on the little or no information that one or both parties might have. Off course the end results often being a fight or some sort of disagreement that leaves one or both parties hurt, vulnerable, frustrated, alone, tired and just feeling like giving up. All the above builds up and if not dealt with, could result in depression, addiction, affairs and even suicide.
What is described above happens to so many people, but they either hide it or hope it will go away by itself. Instead of talking about it and dealing with the issues at hand, it is so often placed in little drawers, thinking that it would be forgotten and solved that way. However, the reality is that it is still very much part of our lives and becomes real all over again, on the day when satan decides to bring up the past. Remember, he has no future, so he rides on the bad things and mistakes from our past. When just the right button is pressed, those little drawers will open and when they do, it can have devastating effects on both yourself and the ones that you are in relationship with.
I often hear how people say things like “it will never change” or “it has always been like that; I just need to accept it” or “you know, he/she is not a talker so it is just the way things have been and always will be.” Utter nonsense is what I say! Jesus was a talker and still talks to us daily through His Spirit. He talked, shared and cried with people. He was open and honest and lived on this earth, a human life, experiencing the very same things we experience. He understands hurt, miscommunication and the result of the truth not being told.
Ephesians 4:17 – Ephesians 5:2 says: “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness….Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen…..Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
There are so many reasons for mis/no communication and to be honest, whatever it might be or has been, it still comes down to how we deal with the matter. Do we die to the self and put others before ourselves? Do we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and minds so that we are controlled and abled by Him to lead and guide us to make the right choices and execute Godly actions when faced with the impossible? No matter what you have tried before, if Christ is not the basis and centre of everything in your life, then your attempts will either fail or give you temporarily satisfaction. I’m reminded again of Ecclesiastes 4 saying “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
We need to realise that it is broken people who come to Christ and often because of abuse, broken marriage, loss of a loved one, failing business, lack of finances and health challenges. Broken people come to Jesus for healing, restoration and help. But, what about when all goes well with you? Do you then make Him your everything, everyday? Why wait for something to happen to call on Him. He wants to be that golden thread, that one solid thread in the cord of your life, which will remain unbreakable when everything around you fall apart.
Let us allow Jesus to step into our hearts, lives, friendships, marriages, family life and workplaces. Let Him be that one strand which cannot be broken. It does however start with me and you, allowing ourselves to be gracefully broken by Jesus. As Tasha Cobbs Leonard sings: “God will break you to position. He will break you to promote you and break you to put you in your right place. But when He breaks you, He doesn’t hurt you. He doesn’t destroy you. He does it with grace.”
If you find yourself lost, misunderstood and alone today, allow God to start with you. Allow Him to break you gracefully. Let Him be the main strand in all your relationships, for He is unbreakable, almighty, all knowing, and all authority belongs to Him. He will carry and sustain you, no matter the trial, tribulation or challenge. When you and the other person in any kind of relationship are weak, He is strong. Remember, a cord of three strands, of which Jesus must be the main strand, is not quickly broken. We now have the victory of Christ, through His death and resurrection. Therefore, I can say in faith and with Godly boldness and assurance, that through His victory, blood and by His name, a cord of three strands with Him at the centre, can’t be broken.
Love in Christ
Princess K