Don't Go It Alone
2008-03-16

Palm Sunday greetings to you!

Psalms for today: 16, 46, 76, 106, 136

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;
let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.--Psalm 76:11-12


Day 115

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

This is a beautiful passage about the benefits of partnership in any venture. It is also frequently used in marriage ceremonies.

It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there's no one to help, tough!

Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.

By yourself you're unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.


The "third" has always been assumed to be Christ, especially in reference to a marriage. With all due respect to Mr. Peterson, I think he added the line that says "Can you round up a third?" That thought doesn't even seem to be in the traditional translations.

Nevertheless, the point is well-made. We were not made to be alone. We are built for relationship--to help others and to be helped by them.

1. What words or phrases speak to you? Why?

The first two lines in the passage. In the 12 years that I have worked at my present job, the times have been the best when I have had an associate that I work well with. Right now, it's Phillipp. He is a fellow believer, and tremendous worker, and we work very well together. If one of us misses something, the other will catch it, and in this way, we watch each other's backs.

But I have also had a wonderful partner for over 22 years. My wife and I "share the work, share the wealth." We have never had separate anything. There is no "your money and my money." There is one checking account that pays all the bills and buys all the food and other stuff. We are a team and have been so right from the very start. We have faced bad times and weathered them triumphantly. We have held each other up, picked each other up. And with Christ in the middle, our rope is unbreakable.

2. What do these words or phrases tell you about how you've been helped? About how you're built to help others?

Well, as I said in answer to the first one, the times at work have been best when I have had a good partner. There have been stretches where the dock worker on my shift wasn't so good. Those were some miserable times. But when it was someone I could work with, we had great times. Great evidence that we are, in fact, not made to "go it alone."


Father, show me how people have helped me in my life and let me always be grateful for that help. Grateful to those who have helped me and grateful to you for placing them in my path. I am especially thankful to you for putting two people in my path. Most recently Phillipp, who has shown me so much about you, and then for Christi, my life partner, who has, with your help, made my life tolerable. We have carried each other many times, with your strength to help.

As an exercise, the book recommends holding a strand of braided rope. It asks us to identify one strand as ourselves and then ponder who the other strands might be. I know who mine are. My wife, Christi, and my savior, Jesus.

Grace and peace, friends!



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