A Three-Cord Strand
There I sat, somewhat uncomfortably on a small wooden box
drum, the cold driving into my bones, my body fighting not to shake.
My friend Molly stood a little ways from me. She was all brilliant
in white, excitably waiting next to her soon-to-be husband as the Pastor spoke
about marriage and more specifically about their marriage. She was in the
middle of her wedding ceremony, and I had the honor of playing percussion for the
processional. Her choice of venue was a scenic little barn in a scenic little
area of Oshkosh.
It was a bitterly cold day for a fall wedding, wind
whipping, with a gloomy sky winking down at the attendees as they sat huddled
in coats, blankets, and body heat. I myself was sporting a borrowed dress,
accessorized with an oversized chunky white wool sweater that swallowed up my
arms and helped keep a fraction of the cold at bay.
And as I sat I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by a
multitude of conflicting emotions most single women tend to hide, fight, and
push away as they cheer on their next friend’s newest adventure in marriage.
These emotions sat pressed upon my chest, and as I listened
to the Pastor, a plea rang out into the heavens.
There’s that moment in a Christian wedding, where the
inevitable verse about the “Three Cord Strand” comes up…you know, the one in
Ecclesiastes the one that states “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord
of three strands is not quickly broken.”
In
hearing this verse my plea shot up, “Dear Lord don’t let me be alone. Don’t
make me do this alone. I want someone by my side to encourage me, to help
strengthen me, to do ministry together…”
In
that moment, I was Moses as he was at the burning bush…. my faith small, my
fears large in the face of adversity convincing God that He had the wrong
person…that I was too weak, too selfish, too inexperienced. I was Moses asking
for Aaron. It didn’t matter exactly who, but I wanted a “brother”, a mouthpiece,
a lifelong companion to push me to do the things I couldn’t.
A
three cord strand is not easily broken…in this context...the woman and man are the two cords, and
God is the one that binds them together, that keeps them strong in each other.
And
so that day as husband and wife ceremonially began to braid their own three
cords to take in remembrance…my prayer became more fervent…don’t make me take
this next step alone…but God’s answer had already come. It had come that
morning, yet I was still too weak to accept it…
God’s
answer had come to me in the form of a burnt-up dress and a stranger’s motherly
care. The answer was this: Fear
not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand -Isaiah 41:10
Yes,
the answer came…it came early that morning, as I took care to pick out the
“right” dress…one that I had always enjoyed, purple and soft, it had
accompanied me to many a gathering, yet I enjoyed the fit, the feel and the way
I looked in it. I picked that dress and paired it with my wool sweater knowing
exactly the chill of the day. We were to arrive early to the barn, to be able
to practice our songs and to make sure we were situated before the big moment
arrived. And so, there I was, about an hour early, along with the pianist,
guitarist and a few others with various tasks to accomplish. There we stood in
the barn, shivering, doing what we could to stay warm and wait.
There
in the little barn were a few heaters speckled throughout the barn…and only
when you got close could you feel any warmth from them. A friend and I had
decided to warm up by a floor heater…and I…not always thinking in common
sense…stood a little to close to the open flames.
The
calm quiet voice of my friend informed me “Your dress is on fire.”
And
to my shock as I looked down, indeed it was, the bulk of the bottom already
engulfed in flame…futile attempts at patting it off were amusing at first…until
the reality set in that I needed to stop this fire from spreading.
I
felt very trapped in my dress at that moment. Let me just say, it is not a good
feeling to be trapped in anything that happens to be on fire.
Panic
set in and I was then very appreciative of all those elementary teachers who
would ingrain in us as children to “Stop, Drop and Roll.” Never once did I
think I would actually need such instruction and yet, there I was, twenty
seven, those words pounding in my head as I dropped to the ground and began to
roll like a mad woman.
I can
only imagine what I must have looked like, my mind frozen in fear, as people
surrounded me with blankets to smother the rest of the flames. The fire was put
out, but my dress was completely obliterated from waste down…Thank the Lord I
had decided to wear shorts underneath or I think I would have cried from utter
embarrassment…so there I was, wanting to cry but choosing to laugh it off. It
was, after all, a pretty ridiculous situation to be in…and I felt pretty stupid
for having arrived at such a junction.
There
surrounding me were friends, concern on their faces after seeing me all aflame…
but it was a complete stranger, a man whom I had never met, who wrapped me up
and whisked me off to the wisdom of his wife.
This
woman, a stranger I had never met, quickly drove me to her house and helped me
pick out an outfit to wear. A cute little brown dress and leggings to match…She
saw through my humor into the hurt that had happened in that fire. She saw
through the surface to see a girl wounded, and not only took care of the
physical wounds, but made sure that I was ok emotionally as well.
Taking
me back, we arrived in time for the wedding; just in time for me to sit right
back on my Cajon as if nothing had ever happened. Her gentle care kept me from
bursting into tears. Her firm words about my safety made me feel secure….
And
she did not forget about me, but made sure to check in on me, her eyes meeting
mine every so often during the ceremony, giving me a hearty thumbs-up that she
was cheering me on. My friend was the one getting married, yet this woman cared
deeply for a girl she had never met before. She made sure my friends looked
after me, and never let me just say I was ok until she was sure that I was speaking
truth in those words.
So
there I sat, as wife and husband finished their braiding…and the truth was
known…revealed…God is enough. He
loves me enough to provide for my needs. He loves me enough that He sends His
sons and daughters to take care of His little girl.
It was
a truth I was just beginning to learn. It was a truth that needed to sink
deeply into the fabric of my being…I am with you…do not be dismayed…I will
uphold you…I will not leave you. Because...soon, I would embark on a new journey, a journey to an entirely new state where I would have to rely on strangers...and on God's provision...
I
still long to find that other cord, that person to encourage me, to help
strengthen me all the more…yet, there is the underlying truth…God is strong enough. I don’t need that
cord, but if it will bring Him glory, He can provide so many cords in my life
to grant me encouragement along my journey. I just need to keep my eyes open to
the people He provides…that…and to stay away from open flames!
No comments:
Post a Comment