Sheltered

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 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. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

God intended for us to live in cooperation and community.  While this wholeness is often absent from our human interactions, we can learn much from the animal kingdom.  Many animal species rely on their communities for survival.  Consider geese flying in V-formation as they migrate, coyotes, wolves, and other predators working in packs as they hunt, or prey living in herds for protection against the packs hunting them.  A fascinating illustration of community within the animal world is found in the Emperor Penguin colonies of Antarctica.

After laying their eggs, female Emperor Penguins head for warmer fishing grounds, leaving their mates behind to care for the fragile eggs through two months of almost complete darkness of the Antarctic winter.  With wind chills as low as -75°F, the survival of all depends on cooperation within the colony.  Male penguins huddle together on the ice, taking turns moving between the relatively warmer shelter at the center of the group and their turn on the icy perimeter.  They stay huddled closely, not only for warmth but also because leaning against each other provides stability in the gale force winds blowing around them.

And the same is true of us.  Community provides us with shelter through the storms of life, helps us to stand back up when we fall, and enables us to see the danger beyond our range of vision.  For this reason, God desires that we grow in relationship with both Him and others.

Questions: 

• When has someone sheltered you from one of life’s ‘storms?’ 

• How can you provide shelter to other people during their ‘storms?’  Do you have time, resources, skills or abilities that you can offer to others?

• The illustration of the ‘cord of three strands’ in Ecclesiastes is often used at wedding ceremonies to encourage couples to grow in their relationship with God as well as each other.  How could you be growing in your relationship with God?  Who is one person in your life that you share your faith with?  How could you be growing in relationship with this person? 

Prayer: Spend some time in prayer thanking God for the times when He sheltered you through the storms of life and for the people He used to provide this shelter.  Ask God to open your eyes to see the struggles of others who are walking through storms right now and for wisdom to know how to step into their need.