No one is unbreakable

by: Carole L. Haines

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiasts 4:9-12 ESV)

            Wildfires are not common where I live, but our area survived a rather freakish one a few years ago. As I drive through this area often, I marvel at these survivors. They are testaments of strength and endurance. However, I believe the fires had weakened their frames and during the recent ice and snowstorms, their fragile frames broke under the weight of the rather heavy ice which had accumulated on their boughs. It was a sobering sight and a stark reminder that no one is unbreakable. We all know people who have been through extremely difficult times, and we marvel at their strength as well. We mutter to ourselves, “There is no way I could survive what they endured.”  

            But not one of us is unbreakable. We have endured fire and ice Ourselves. Yet none of us is so strong as to be unbreakable, not one. It’s good to come to grips with this fact when we are younger, to realize our need for others. To reach out and ask for help instead of standing alone, suffering in the dark.
My husband and I just returned to leadership in our local Celebrate Recovery group, and it felt just like coming home. Most people avoid deep conversations, sharing the difficulties in their lives, but these precious ones just jump right in. The honesty around that room was palpable, taking on a quality that could almost be touched. I know we all felt it, and I’m sure we all needed it.

             Being vulnerable is risky and, but it is what I believe God has asked us to do, and when we obey and risk, we often open a path for others to be vulnerable too, I can truly testify that it is worth it. Truly, no one is unbreakable. So, let’s pray and seek for others to grow with, share life with, even hope with.
We need each other We truly do!