Ecclesiastes 4:9 Do You Have Your Other?

“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?”

This is one of my favorite bible verses because I truly believe we are stronger as a pair than as a single.  We all get down and weak and we need the comfort and support on another.  I have multiple of these pair in my life.

Of course my first pair and most primary is God and me.  I rely constantly on God to lift me up, help me when I am down and celebrate my blessings he has given me. God is my number one partner in my life.  He guides me, blesses me, shows his mercy on me as well as His grace.  I am nothing without Him.  I would have no way to get up if I fell without Him. He guides me so I can serve Him and help others.  He gives me so many blessings and allows me to share with others my love for Him.   I assume you knew this as my first “pair”.

I turn daily to God to start my day with His plans for me and I strive to be a good “pair” back by saying His words and treating others kindly.  God fills my heart and guides my life with such unconditional love.  I feel the comfort of His touch more and more.

My second “pair” is my husband and myself.  God placed Wes in my life in 2003 to give me the perfect husband.  A husband filled with kindness.  A husband that would be a true role model for my daughter as she entered her pre-teen years.  A husband that provided for us financially, emotionally and gave without hesitation when something was needed for our family.  He bought our daughter cars, paid for her college tuition, braces and all the things I would have struggled in providing for her as a single mother.

Wes is very even-tempered, smart and has a genuine heart.  God brought him to me when I lived in Illinois and he was in Texas.  God aligned us before I moved to Texas and put my love for Wes in my heart when I met him face to face the first time.  This is an earthly pair that was blessed from the start and gives me strength and support every day.  I am so grateful to call Wes my husband.

When Wes’s parents died God allowed me to be the one to pick Wes up.  Although he is very stoic and a quiet man, I was with him when his mom passed. To touch his hand and let him know I was there for him allowed me to be the stronger in our pair.  He was alone with his dad when he passed away and I am sorry I wasn’t in Nashville with him then.  I would have held him just so he could feel my love for him.

The third very important “pair” in my life is my daughter, Lexie.  She is another example of God’s alignment for the perfect child for me.  Lexie has picked me up many times when I was a single mom.  My divorce was so tough and she was so little.  Just knowing I had her in my life every day made life so much easier.  Her beautiful big blue eyes looking up to me let me know what a miracle she was.

Lexie has been my confidant, my best friend, my voice of reason and my girl to worship with.  There have been times when she was in high school and college  when I would have severe anxiety and she knew the words to calm me and make sense of my anxiety or panic attack.  She has always loved God with all her heart and when she was in preschool singing “The Angel Song” I would feel warmth and peace in my heart.

The song was actually a bedtime prayer but she would only sing the first four lines over and over.

All night, all day,
Angles watching over me, my Lord. 
All night, all day,
Angles watching over me

I think when this repeated in my head I would find the peace God wanted me to feel during my difficult pre-divorce years.  She had no idea how she was picking me up at the age of four.  She still picks me up and creates such joy in my life.

When Lexie broke up with her first boyfriend I was her strength.  She would sob and I would just hold her telling her the pain would pass.  It broke my heart but I knew I had to be the part of the pair that was standing when she was down.  She now has a pair formed with her husband and I watch him be a rock for her when he dad died.  He held her, loved her and kissed her cheek when we sat together after hearing the news.

Who do you pair with in your life to pick you up?  We can’t do it alone by any means.  Do you realize who your pairs are?  Do you recognize how they protect and help you every day? Do you need to form some pairs?

It is also said in the bible:

Ecclesiastes 4:12

 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” 

Of course the cord of three is your pair and God.  God should never be left out of your pairs for He is the one giving the other strength when one  is weak.  He is blessing you with the other person in that pair divinely working to heal the fallen one.

If you are alone right now, turn to God to be your first pair.  Allow Him to show you His love so you can form other pairs based on love and trust.  When you know you have these pair that you can always rely on your life will become so much better and enriched.  You will be a happier and more at peace.

I pray you are as blessed as I am with the few pairs I shared with you.  May God bless you today-LoLo

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”  Psalm 143:8

My loving husband and incredible daughter