May 2 | Ecclesiastes 4:4-12
DAILY READING
Ecclesiastes 4:4-12
REFLECTION
“A cord of three strands is not easily broken”
by Mary Kate Hipp
This refrain is not unfamiliar in Christian circles. We often hear this spoken at weddings or on greeting cards sent to friends. But what of it?
When I was little, my mom made sure to do my hair all cute before school. My favorite of all the hairstyles was braids. It took an extra second to do, but I loved them anyways! I practiced braiding on my American Girl Dolls over and over so I could perfect the look myself. I would get frustrated and just take two strands of hair, twist them together, and hope for the best. To no avail, my “braids” would quickly fall out.
What makes braids work? Three strands. When three strands are used, braids seldom fall apart.
What the author of Ecclesiastes is getting at is that the body of Christ, when united, cannot be easily broken. Not only should the body of Christ be united with one another, but with Christ. From the very beginning, God calls us to be in relationship with Him and with others. This three-stranded cord business is a matter of His creation design. We were made for these relationships.
What is important about this unity is that, much like my braiding skills, it takes effort and it takes practice. As we work towards this new season at UALC of building a house together, effort and practice are required. As physically building something (like our church campuses) requires effort, commitment, time, and prayer, so does “building” this three-stranded cord. We mus