A Cord of Three Strands

It was 3:30 and we were done with all our school work. We blinked at each other. How could this be? This whole year, not only have we never finished school before dinner time, but in addition, Asherel has spent every weekend either building helicopters, repairing broken helicopters, testing trebuchets, writing speeches, or preparing for an art contests. It has been about as relaxing as punching oneself in the head over and over and over.

However... the helicopters are now ready, boxed, and labeled carefully, packed in a bag awaiting transfer to the car early Saturday. The trebuchet is already in the car, with the beautiful black duct tape covering with orange and green flame detailing Asherel made. If it doesn't win at flinging things, it should win "Best Dressed Trebuchet." All the art entries are in for this year awaiting judging, and her last speech for gavel club is one she could probably give in her sleep. 

We let out a collective sigh.

It has been a hard year. It is hard to believe that the hard work is over. Her regular school schedule is a piece of cake with all these extras removed. Would we do it again? I find myself asking that often when I have survived any grueling, excruciating endeavor....be it academic, work, or relational. When I am in the midst of it, I almost always respond with a resounding "NO!".  But when I am nearing the end, or through the ordeal..... I invariably begin to notice the things I gained along the way that I had not noticed while gasping for breath in the midst of it all.

Things like the people we encountered and even befriended along the way. Or the patience we developed that we never knew we had. Or the ability to hold our tongue and let fun invade the precious few moments of work time we had. Or the ability to hold the fun when the work was tedious and hard and yet we had to slog on anyway. Or the ability to tolerate frustration beyond what was fair or bearable....or reaching the breaking point, and seeing that being broken is not really the worst that could happen. Or failing time after time after time, and then procuring the faintest glimmer of success that would never have satisfied us at the outset, but is strangely monumental in the darkness of perpetual defeat. Or recognizing that if helicopters don't fly, and trebuchets don't fling, the sun still rises and sets, and God is still in every spring flower.

That's when we realize we would probably do it again. I suppose in a way, it is like asking, if given the choice, would I rather not have been born?  There are moments when I would answer, yes, life is just too hard. It would have been better not to have had to endure it. Poor Solomon in his lament, Ecclesiastes, reaches that conclusion. The presence of oppression, unbearable evil, meaningless toil, envy, and discontent made Solomon conclude the one who never was born to see all that was the luckier soul. He talks about how at least if two travel the road of hardship together, there is someone to pick you up or keep you warm but one traveling alone is easily overpowered. And then suddenly, after talking about the power of two to at least survive, there is a change in tone and terminology that strikes me as odd. With no warning after this litany of depression and despair, Solomon says, "A strand of three cords is not quickly broken."  Three? We were talking about two just a second ago. Who is this third? And I thought life was a meaningless chasing after the wind.... what is this sudden declaration of hope?

In case I have fooled anyone, I am not a Bible scholar, though I play one on this blog. But I love the Bible and I love the daily dose of delight and guidance I find there. This is what I think Solomon realized that I have realized more and more as I struggle in life. No one can do it alone, and even more importantly, no one can do it without God. That third strand, I think, is God.

Ecclesiastes 4

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

 ¹ Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:    I saw the tears of the oppressed—
   and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
   and they have no comforter.
² And I declared that the dead,
   who had already died,
are happier than the living,
   who are still alive.
³ But better than both
   is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
   that is done under the sun.
 ⁴ And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
 ⁵ Fools fold their hands
   and ruin themselves.
⁶ Better one handful with tranquillity
   than two handfuls with toil
   and chasing after the wind.
 ⁷ Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
 ⁸ There was a man all alone;
   he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
   yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
   “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
   a miserable business!
 ⁹ Two are better than one,
   because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ 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.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
   But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
   two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.