The Third Strand

Ladies,

Happy Valentines Day! No matter if you are married, single, widowed, divorced, or have no living relatives in the world someone sends you a Valentine this year – “God so loved that He gave His Son.” God’s love took action. Someone may promise to climb the highest mountain or cross the desert or swim the ocean but only Christ loved you enough to die for you. You are loved. So whether you get a card, candy or not, you are loved.

However, He now wants to know what you will do with that love. Will you share it?


I want to share part of an email I received.

Hi Angela: I am taking the Fight Like A Girl class on Wednesday evening. Tonight the speaker, Lisa Bevere, briefly mentioned Titus 2:3 &4 about the older women teaching/training the younger women to love their husband and children . . . one of the ladies ask how do you find these older women and two expressed interest in joining the ladies Thursday morning study because 2 of us in the group find it is a place where we can learn from their wisdom and life experiences. Lisa Bevere was expressing how important this is . . . I agree, as someone who has not had my mom near throughout the years, I've really needed these ladies. I know you have/and are working hard to connect the ladies and I just wanted to let you know… (she went on to share how her and others lives were blessed by one of us sharing our lives in a small way with them.)

I’m sharing this with you, ladies, because you have no idea what a blessing you could be to other women who need a more mature Christian woman in their lives. I know many of you are thinking, who me? What do I have to offer? Well, as a follower of Christ if you have followed Him through raising your children, or through years of being single, through a divorce or being a single Mom, through the loss of a husband, a terminal illness, a rebellious teen, and many other difficult circumstances of life, then you can help others as they follow Christ through their everyday situations.

What scriptures did he make real to you? What mistakes can you keep them from making? What tender compassion do you have to share, what honest feedback for correction, what support and inspiration to encourage and motivate? No, you alone may not be enough; but You and God with this other woman are a strand of three cords which is difficult to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

In Titus 2:3 the older women are admonished to teach and train the younger women in practical aspects of life. You don’t have to have the gift of teaching to do this. We naturally have what it takes to nurture others. We just have to offer ourselves to God and be intentional in sharing our lives with another younger disciple in the process of following Christ. We can have them come along with us shopping, hiking, doing errands. Just simply taking time to share life with them; listen and know their hearts. God will prompt you in what to say or do. Listening is most important. Caring enough to listen and understand their feelings and know them personally is a gift you can give.

Could this be the ministry God wants to birth in you? Could you be the answer to someone’s prayer? Please pray about what God would have you to do. Please be aware of opportunities to be there for someone – to listen to their heart, pray for their situation and believe God with them. It doesn’t take money; just time and your heart.

There are many reasons why we don’t reach out and share our lives. I will share those in another post. But please pray about how God would have you respond. Pray that God will stir up hearts to care and reach outside their comfort zones to share their lives. Pray for women to oversee such a ministry and make it effective. Pray for the women who are needing such a ministry that they can hang on while God endeavors to get through our defenses, excuses and walls of protection.


9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him 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.

Will you be the third strand? Will you be someone's valentine by sharing your life?